Sometime in April
by Karinka-ten
Summary: It was love at first site. He had to see her again. He knew all along that being with her was imposible. The only way he could is if they kept it a secret, if no one else knew...confused? check it out to see what I really mean.
1. How it began and how it ended

**SOMETIME IN APRIL**

**Chapter 1**

How it began and how it ended

Sakura's knees trembled. Her eyes were shiny with tears. She held unto it tightly keep her gaze fixed on it. "Please…no. Please be negative." She muttered nervously. Her hands began to shudder. Her heart was in her throat. Beads of sweet tumbled down her face. As she sat there on the toilet bowl. She thought of the events that lead to this moment.

"How could I let it get so out of control?"

In a few seconds, there was a possibility that her life would change forever.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Sakura opened the front door. She placed her coat on the coat hanger and started her way to the kitchen.  
She walked past the dining room when she heard.

"Sakura, you're home." Her father's voice came from the dining room.

Sakura paused in her tracks "Sorry, I'm late. Did I miss dinner?" 

"No, you're right on time. In fact do you mind coming here? I want you to meet someone."

Sakura walked into the dining room. Sitting behind the dining table was her father and on the opposite side a young man.

"Sakura, this is one of my clients. Mr. Li"

The first thing that met were their eyes. She had bright beautiful emerald that immediately lured him. He had amber eyes that immediately told her that he was a passionate man. The minute the locked eyes something happened. She flushed coyly and he looked down feeling embarrassed. 

"Hi. Nice to meet you." She said politely.

He finally looked up at her "It's nice to meet you two." Her beauty was beyond believe. He gazed fascinated by her. For a minute he felt his heart stop beating. Her lips were crimson and silky. Her cheeks were flushed, she immediately reminded him of a porcelain doll. 

"It's nice to meet you too." He said slightly hesitant.

"Sakura is my only daughter." He father said proudly. He looked at her "Why don't you join us." 

Sakura beamed. She pulled a chair out and sat next between her father and him. 

"Sakura just graduated from college. She's working on opening her own restaurant."

Sakura simply beamed again. His eyes narrowed to her. He smiled then immediately turned his gaze away. 

"That's impressive." Was all he could really say.

As the meal went on, he gazed at her when he thought she wasn't looking and she at him when she thought he wasn't looking.

After dinner, Sakura volunteered to wash the dishes. She rinsed the plates.

"Uh Sakura."

Sakura turned around. He had a nervous look on his face. He casually tucked his hands into his pocket and chuckled. 

"Where is the bathroom."

Sakura took one quick look at him before immediately turning away. "It's upstairs to your left. You can't miss it."

Sakura managed to keep a straight face as he slightly nodded and left. When he was out of sight she hid her face in her palms and blushed massively. She accidentally let out a squeaky laugh then carried on washing the dishes.

The next day he came for dinner again. Once again all three of them sat at the dinner table. He snuck a quick gaze at her. And she looked at him quickly from the corner of her eye. There was a moment where they caught each other but as soon as that happened, they turned away. Sakura's father kept on talking. None of them paid attention to half of the things he said.

"Syaoran is my youngest client." He said looking at Sakura who simply nodded.

"Sakura was the smartest in her class and she did a lot of volunteer work back in high school." He went on. Syaoran smirked and nodded.

After dinner, Sakura's father left to take a phone call. They sat quietly for awhile.

Sakura stood up "I'll clear the table."

"I'll help you." He quickly stood up. 

Sakura stretched her hand to grab the salt so did he. Their hands touched and both quickly pulled their hands away as though they touched fire.

"I'm sorry." He said politely.

"It's nothing." She said throwing a polite smile.

……………………………………………………………….

He came to Sakura's house for dinner everyday that week. On Friday night he knocked cautiously on the front door. He fixed his tie and took a deep breath. 

The door slowly opened. She stood before him with a smile on her face. Her eyes danced joyfully.

"Hi, your father invited me for dinner." 

She chuckled "He's not home. He never mentioned anything about you coming here today."

He gulped "He must have forgotten."

"That's not likely Mr. Li. Come in." 

He smirked and made his way in. "Sakura, you don't have to call me Mr. Li. It's awkward and besides we are nearly the same age."

Sakura walked ahead of him and he followed her "What should I call you then."

"Syaoran is fine."

"Syao…Syaoran. It suits you." 

Sakura led him to the kitchen where she was baking cakes. He sat on a stool near the counter and watched her every move.

"My father must really like you." She cracked an egg into a large yellow bowl. 

"What would make you say that?"

Sakura shrugged "Lets see; he has invited you here for dinner five times now. But who's counting." 

"Your father never invites anyone for dinner." 

Sakura pretended to think "Never; the last person I would have expected was someone from work." 

"I had lunch with him twice and paid for it. I guess he felt like he owed me."

"Are you always this shy and quiet?" She said now mixing sugar into the ingredients.

"No. I'm actually very confident."

Sakura nearly laughed "You could have fooled me."

After Sakura left the cake in the oven, they sat on rocking chairs on the front porch.

"So…uh…" he rocked back "Do you have a boyfriend?" he did not want to sound too interested in her just incase she would reject him.

She released a saucy chuckle "No."

He smiled inwardly. "Can I make a confession Sakura?"

"Go right ahead Mr. Li."

He stopped rocking "Your father never invited me for dinner today."

Sakura rocked back and forth "I figured that out."

"In fact, he only invited me for dinner once."

Sakura stopped rocking "What are you trying to say."

"I sort of invited myself. I made your father invite me because…" he paused.

Sakura held onto his every word. He gaze lingered eloquently on him.

"After the first time we met; I kept thinking about you. I a had to see you again and again." His tone was serious as he stopped rocking.

Sakura sat back "You work with my Father. It's not right."

"I know. I've been telling myself that the moment I saw you, but I can't stop the way I feel."

Sakura was quiet. She stood up "The cake is ready."

He looked at her thwarted before following her to the kitchen. Sakura pulled out the cake from the oven.  
She placed it on the counter then moved two steps closer to him.

"If you meant everything you said and if I believed you. What would be the first thing you would do?" 

He smirked "I'd wrap my hands around your waist and hold you in my arms. I'd kiss you so passionately you won't want me to stop. I would never let you go."

Sakura flushed as she imagined how it would be like.

"Well I..." she paused when she heard the front door open.

Seconds after that, her father walked into the kitchen.

"Mr. Li, you're here." He said shocked.

"I'm leaving town tomorrow. I just thought I'd visit for the last time."

Sakura looked at him shocked. Her jaw dropped and her eyes widened. An unbearable sadness came over her. The last thing she wanted was for him to leave.

"Oh; I'm glad you came, you can…"

"When are you coming back?" Sakura interrupted abruptly.

He looked at her. His eyes were soft and full of pain. She couldn't bare it. She wished she could walk over to him and tell him "Will you stop looking at me! You're making me nervous!"

"It could be months, years or never." He muttered.

Sakura gave him a meaningful stare then suddenly walked out of the kitchen. 

Mr. Kinomoto shook his head "I don't know what's wrong with her. You know how kids are like. She must have a thing for you or something." 

Syaoran made a face. Mr. Kinomoto was not making sense. For starters he knew nothing about kids and he was only three years her senior.

………………………………..

Sakura stayed in her room for an hour. She couldn't believe how melodramatic she was being. Now it felt too late to go downstairs and apologize. He's probably think she naïve and immature.

Her father gently knocked on the door. "Sakura, Mr. Li is leaving. Don't you want to say goodbye."

Sakura jumped off the bed "Uh…sure."

She walked out of the room and thought of how painful it was going to be to say goodbye to this man. The man, she was convinced, she was in love with. Was that even possible? Loving someone you barely know?

As she walked down the steps and saw him, she was convinced. It was possible; she was in love with him. She felt more for him than she felt for guys she had dated for months.

He stood near the door and watched her come down the steps. When they met, they were a few centimeters apart.

"I'm sorry." He said softy. 

"Why didn't you tell me? I should have…" she paused then suddenly hugged him. He wrapped him hands around her waist.

"Oh Sakura, I wish we had more time." He whispered in her ear.

He released her "My Taxi is here."

Sakura sighed "I don't want to say goodbye. I have a feeling I'll see you again Mr. Li."

He tilted his head and pressed his lips against hers. He broke the kiss and took a step back.

"I will never forget you."

After saying that he opened the door, shot her a quick look and walked out.

Sakura's father caught her standing by the door.

"What a nice young man. Well mannered, kind, comes from a good family not to mention filthy rich. That kind of combination is hard to find."

Sakura nodded.

"He would be a good suit for you sweetheart."

Sakura gave her father a quizzical look "Would be?"

"Yes, if he wasn't engaged."

She looked at him and smiled "Whatever Dad."

He turned around and looked at her seriously "I mean it Sakura."

……………………………………..

**1 year later**

He pulled over in front of an old building. He pushed the doorbell open. A tiny bell rang on top of the door.

"Excuse me?"

He said narrowed his eyes to the woman behind the counter.

"Yes! First customer!" She muttered.

He looked at her puzzled "I'm sorry, I just wanted to ask for directions."

She sighed "Figures."

"Where is Shimbuya road?"

She rose one of her eyebrows "Shimbu what?"

"Shimbuya, it say right here…" he took out a map.

The woman shook her head "Stay here. My friend, she's right at the back. I think she knows." The woman walked quickly through a brown door..

"Sakura!" she said looking around.

Sakura stacked a pile of box on top of a table "Yeah….these things are heavy."

"This really hot guy walked in. Brown eyes and brown hair. He has this sexy voice and…" 

Sakura looked up at her best friend Tomoyo. "Get straight to the point."

"He wants directions"

Sakura rolled her eyes "Figures."

"Some place called shimbue, shimbua-something like that."

"Shimbuya. Take two turns to the left, then right, across the bridge on your right."

"Good." Tomoyo sighed "Then you should tell him." 

"I'm kind of…" 

Tomoyo looked at her desperately.

"Okay, fine." 

Sakura walked into the room where he was waiting. Her eyes widened. Her heartbeat increased so sudden she couldn't breathe. He did not seem to notice her. She walked back to staffroom.

"Oh my go…Tomoyo that's…." she said out of breath.

"Who?"

"That guy, I meet him last year. Around this time."

"Oh." Tomoyo did not understand but she pretended to.

"What should I do?" She said biting her nails.

"Get out of here and talk to him."

Sakura strolled out of the staff room. He was still by the counter reading a book. Sakura stop behind the counter. She faked a cough that got his attention. The second he saw her, his eyebrows shot up and a tiny smirk touched his lips.

"It's you; Sakura Kinomoto." He said in awe.

Sakura smiled. She could not help it. It came automatically whenever she was around him "It's nice to see you again Syaoran."

He smiled. His eyes glowed as thought he did not believe what he was seeing.

"When did you come back?" she asked.

"Last night. I'm going to be here for a while." He still had a smile on his face.

"Okay." She could not stop looking into his eyes. She could barely speak.

"So, this is your book shop. I thought you were going to open a restaurant."

"Uh…that didn't work out too well. We needed a lot of employee for that and we barely had enough money." 

He looked around the shop "Well, I like it."

"We just need to fix it up a little."

He handed her a thin book he took from the shelf "Here. I'll be your first customer."

"Wow. Thanks?" she took the book from his hands "You know, we also deliver our books personally."

"I'll keep that in mind."

She packed the book into a small plastic bag and gave it to him.

"Sakura, it was great seeing you. I would love to see you again. Are you busy tonight?"

Sakura flushed coyly "No, I'm free."

"Good. When so you knock off? I can pick you up, from here."

Sakura's eyebrows slightly rose "Eight."

He walked out of the shop looking back twice.

Tomoyo walked over to Sakura who had a dreamy look on her face.

"He forgot to ask you for the directions." Tomoyo giggled.

"You were listening? Isn't he amazing? The minute I saw him, everything I felt for him came back."

Tomoyo place her arms on her waist and gave Sakura a quizzical look "Isn't he that guy you said was engaged."

"Yes." Sakura said in a dreamy tone.

"And you're still going out with him."

Sakura sighed "Tomoyo, we're just going out. That's all." Sakura ended the sentence with a silly giggle.

Tomoyo just shook her head.

……………………………………………………

After their first meeting, they felt like they had to see each other again. So they went out again. The third time they met changed everything.

Sakura had her first earn. She had to deliver two books to this company. When she reached the reception the secretary made it clear that she was expected. She pointed her to an office.

Sakura softly knocked on the door.

"Come in."

Sakura invited herself in. She found Syaoran sitting behind the table leaning back on the chair.

"Hi Sakura."

Sakura leered "I should have guessed that it was you."

He got up from his chair, walked up to her and they shared a passionate kiss. Before he could deepen the kiss, Syaoran pulled away.

"What's wrong?" Sakura asked surprised.

"Before we go on, I need to tell you something important and don't hate me for this."

"I know; you're engaged."

Sadness overtook his eyes.

She caressed his cheek "Syaoran, I'm in love with you. Do you love her?"

"How can I? I've never even met her. My parents arranged for us to be married. After I met you I tried to break it off but I was overruled."

Sakura looked in his eyes. She drank his every word then kissed him.

That marked the beginning of their affair. It never occurred to either one of them that it was an affair and it was wrong. Everything they did was in secrecy. Their dates were never in public places. He ordered book from her shop three times a week just to see her. They held hand and kissed when no one is looking. They managed to stay together and keep their affair a secret for three months.

Everything changed the morning after the night they first made love.

Syaoran slowly opened his eyes. He smiled thinking of the previous night. He thought of how he already missed her and how great it would be to see her lying on his bed next to him. His eyes opened and next to him was an empty space. He squinted his eyes and looked around the room.

He caught Sakura kneeling on the floor looking around as though she was lost. She wore her bra and the skinny jeans she came with last night.

"Morning." He said in a lazy hoarse tone.

Sakura glared at him then dismissed him. "Have you seen the top I was wearing."

He shook his head "Don't worry. We'll look for it."

"I don't have time to look for it. I want it now!" she demanded.

One of his eyebrows rose "Are you going somewhere. It's only six o'clock. Don't you think that's a little too early? Besides, it's Saturday."

Sakura sighed and rolled her eyes as though she was angry and annoyed. "I'm leaving you."

Syaoran sat up "Leaving me. What the hell are you talking about."

Sakura stood up "Syaoran I can't do this anymore. This affair." She felt disgusted with herself.

"Affair? Since when did you call it that? Sakura this is so much more than that."

Sakura closed her eyes then opened them again "This relationship was a dead end to begin with."

"Where is this all coming from? Was my performance last night that bad?"

Sakura shook her head "No. It has nothing to do with that."

"Then tell me. Why are you leaving?"

"I can't be with you. I can't do it anymore. I'm sick of being the other woman. This is wrong. I need to get back to my life. What's the point of being with you?"

"We are happy together. We always have a great time." He replied.

"Not the answer I was looking for. We can't push this relationship any further because you are engaged."

"I thought that didn't bother you." He said still confused.

"I thought so too but it does. I can't keep pretending she doesn't exist and neither can you."

Syaoran ran his fingers through his hair frustrated "So this it. After the most amazing night ever you're leaving me."

Sakura walked over to him.

"Yes. Not because I want to but because it's the right thing to do."

He looked at her helplessly "So this it. Goodbye."

There was pain in her eyes. She looked aside "Yes. Letting this get where it is, was…irresponsible. I hope you two have a great life together. I need to go on with mine. It was a great game."

"A game. Now our affair was a game." He sounded angry and hurt he grabbed her hand "Sakura I…" He paused "Don't go."

"Let my hand go. You are sitting on my top."

Syaoran let her hand go. He shifted and gave her top.

She quickly put it on and walked to the door. Syaoran got up from the bed. He just wished there was a way he could change everything.

She opened the door and half-turned. "If you find my underwear, don't bother returning it." And with those words she was gone.

………………………………………………

At the bookshop the next day, in the staff room, Sakura sat on the table. She did not say much that day. It was easy to see that her mind was preoccupied.

"What's wrong?" Tomoyo asked standing a short distance from her.

Sakura looked up. "I finally found the guts to leave him." She faked a half smile.

"Why? I thought you said he was the one."

"He might have been but it doesn't matter. He belongs to someone else. He's never really been mine and he never will be."

"I'm sorry. You must be hurting." She sat next to her "What made you decide that it was time to leave."

Sakura looked down "I spent the night with him. When we made love, I realized how much I loved him. There more I spend time with him, the more I love him. If I love him more, I'll get hurt. Our relationship is pointless. We can't take it to the next level. We can't move in together or visit his parents or his home or his loved ones. I can't marry him. I'll just be the affair lady. I don't think he loved me as much as he said he did."

Tomoyo hugged Sakura "Don't worry, you'll get over him."

Sakura nodded "I know."

……………………………………………

**Present day (two months later.)**

Sakura could not believe it. She stood up shaking. She leaned her head on the toilet door and muttered still holding the pregnancy test. "I'm pregnant."

……………………………………………


	2. The look in her eyes

Disclaimer: I DO NOW OWN CCS CLAMP DOES

**SOMETIME IN APRIL**

Chapter 2

The look in your eyes

It was a cheerless afternoon. Sakura had been sitting on the bathroom floor for nearly an hour now. She had run out of tears to shed and all trace of hope had dissolved. The only question that lingered in her mind was, how and why now? Questions she already knew the answers to.

"Sakura!" Tomoyo yelled "You've been there for nearly an hour now. Is everything alright?"

Sakura automatically shook her head. "I'll be out…I just need to wash up." She started to breathe heavily again.

"You…you don't sound alright."

Sakura sighed. She slowly got up. Her legs felt heavy and the rest of her body just wanted to collapse.

She held the door knob. Her hands trembled and her feet wobbled.

She opened the door. Tomoyo immediately become aware of the disheartened look on her face.

"What's wrong with you?"

Sakura mopped her cheeks with her fingers so that Tomoyo would not notice the tear stains she left behind. She mastered a watery smile "I'm pregnant."

Tomoyo's eyebrows shot up, her jaw dropped and her eyes widened. Words stuck to her throat.

"I know; it's bad." Sakura walked past Tomoyo.

Tomoyo turned around "No, it's not. A baby never is." Tomoyo finally found the right words.

"It is, I'm going to bring a child into the world— fatherless. This is the worst thing that could have happened." Sakura stopped walking and sat on the leather couch.

"Don't say that Sakura." Tomoyo went and sat next to her.

"What am I going to do?" she said sounding more hesitant.

"For starters tell the father who is…" Tomoyo paused then clasp her hand over her mouth "That jerk." She whispered bitterly.

Sakura was still.

"Oh my…it is, isn't it?"

Sakura looked at the carpet on the floor "I don't understand; it was only one time."

Tomoyo shook her head "You have to tell him. You are aren't you?"

"I don't know."

Tomoyo grabbed Sakura's shoulders "No! You have to. He deserves to know. Tell him today."

"I'm not ready to talk to him and besides I deleted his number."

Tomoyo sighed and shook Sakura's shoulders "You have to find it. Sakura he'll hate you if you don't tell him."

Sakura was quiet.

"Sakura; Sakura are you listening to me." Tomoyo released her shoulders.

Sakura turned her head away from Tomoyo.

"Fine; we'll sit here and wait until you've figured out what the right thing to do is."

They sat on the couch doing nothing for exactly thirty minutes.

"I must tell him." Sakura finally spoke

Tomoyo smiled and hugged her friend. "Finally; now how many months pregnant are you?"

"One." She said innocently.

"Alright…Sakura, don't be so sad. You're going to be a mum. It's not a bad thing." She could help but repeat the words "bad thing"

"Tomoyo, it's my entire fault." She said less depressed. "I thought we were love. I never wanted it to end. No matter what happens…I'll be fine." It was like she was trying to consol herself.

"How do we find him?"

Sakura shrugged "I don't know."

Tomoyo's eyebrows shot up "What do you mean you don't know."

"I deleted his number and besides he moves so often. He might be in China or right here in Japan." Sakura stood up.

Tomoyo sighed. She was more frustrated than Sakura was. Sakura still felt like she was dreaming.

"Okay…we'll look in the yellow pages. He has to be there right?"

Sakura nodded with an uncertain look on her face.

"Work with me Sakura! You dated him for nearly three months and you don't even know where he could possibly be?"

Sakura clenched her teeth "Fine, let's try his office right in the city."

"Finally we're getting somewhere." Tomoyo grinned.

They tried the office where he worked and found that he was still there. It was nearly five o'clock and they only thirty before he left.

………………………………

Syaoran closed the office door. He had a night ahead of him. It was nothing but business for him. It had been a hectic day; he could not take it anymore. As he made his way to the elevator when he heard footsteps approach him. The sound of heals clicked on the floor.

"_Not more work."_ He thought.

"Mrs. Ishida, you can go home now. I've got a flight to Hong Kong this evening." He said referring to his secretary who he thought was the only person left in the office building apart from him.

"No Syaoran. It's me."

He immediately recognized that voice. It was her…his cherry blossom. He was afraid to turn around and find out that it was not real. That he was dreaming. He wondered for a second how she was looking. How she wore her hair; which perfume she was wearing and her clothing. He could barely contain himself. He swallowed hard and slowly turned around.

She was standing a distance away from him. She looked like she had been running. He looked at her delicate frame. He looked at her short auburn hair; her rosy cheeks and her cherry lips. In an instant he remembered how much he missed her and how it was like to be with her.

He looked at her fingers and thought of how it was like to hold them and her lips…he kept his vision on her lips the longest. He thought of how it was like to kiss them and how it would feel to feel to kiss them again.

She took short breaths and looked at him. He was caught in her eyes. The look in her eyes held grief and disappointment. She had the same look the last time he saw her.

"Sakura, is that really you." He finally spoke.

She nodded as though suddenly embarrassed. She was more that embarrassed, she was terrified. Being in his presence alone gave her chills. Her body trembled and her chest moved exceedingly fast.

"What are you doing here." He asked with a smirk lodged on his lips.

Sakura took a deep breath. Indeed she had been running. She thought she lost him. She thought he had already left the building.

"Uh…I'm here…" the words stuck to her throat.

He walked over to her as she struggled to speak. He let out his hand and smiled.

"How are you?" he asked formally.

Sakura looked at his hand then shook it. A jolt of lightning flashed through her veins. Afraid of what she was starting to feel, she pulled her hand away.

"I'm fine." She said now looking at her palm. _What was that?_ She thought.

"I'm surprised to see you here. Last time we spoke, you made it clear that you wanted me out of your life."

Sakura blinked hard "Yes I did and don't get the wrong idea—"

"Wait before you go on." He interrupted "I have something to tell you."

"What is it?"

He cleared his throat "I had a long time to think about everything you said. You were right. What we had was merely an affair. When you left I was miserable. I couldn't sleep…"

Sakura smiled inwardly.

"…It finally hit me. I'm engaged, I should have never played with fire to begin with."

_Was he saying that all the memories they made were a mistake_? Sakura wanted to break into tears. She didn't understand why this broke her heart. She was over him right? It was only right that he'd get over her.

"I have something important to tell you. It's urgent and it's going to change your life and mine forever." Sakura started.

Syaoran smirked "I want you too sweetheart but we can't do this. I'm getting married in four weeks."

Sakura frowned. She wanted to slap him for being so arrogant and self absorbed.

"No, that's not it—I have to tell you this before you leave…"

Syaoran looked at his wrist watch. "I'm late." He interrupted again "Look, why don't you meet me for dinner tonight; at you're favorite restaurant, eight o'clock. I'm going to Hong Kong straight after that."

Sakura gulped. Her face was pale "Um tonight?"

"Yes tonight…you look scared."

Sakura slightly shook her head "No…"

"Lighten up Sakura. I don't bit. It's only dinner and two old friends catching up."

"_Two friends, had they ever been friends? They had always been lovers. Where did that word come from?"_ Sakura thought.

He turned away form her "See you tonight." He said walking away.

After taking a few steps he gave her a backward glance "By the way Sakura, you look lovely."

Sakura frowned further. The way he said it could only be defined as one word—disgusting. How dare think it acceptable to make such remarks? He had become more confident and a little bit of an idiot during their time apart. Sakura contemplated.

That night, exactly at eight o'clock, Sakura waited for Syaoran at Velvet Neon in Shinjuku. She secretly wished he hadn't chosen that particular restaurant. It brought back so many memories she did not want to revisit. They always sat outside so in order to put the past behind her, Sakura sat inside. She sat at a corner near a very beautiful portrait of a woman drawing water from a river.

She looked at the time on her phone then sighed. It was only five minutes past eight and she was already loosing her patience.

She constantly looked up at the entrance to see if it was him walking in. After half an hour of waiting, she decided to order and eat alone. Suddenly she saw him walk in. He strolled towards her and sat opposite her.

He grinned "You weren't going to order without me."

Sakura half smiled "As a matter of fact, yes." She said putting the menu that was currently in her hands on the table.

"I'm sorry for being so late. Something came up." He said looking at her.

Sakura nodded as though not satisfied with his excuse. After a short silence he looked at her then smirked.

"What's wrong?" she asked fearing he was making fun of her.

"Nothing except, you look so beautiful tonight and I see you're wearing the earrings I gave you."

Every hair on Sakura's body rose. Damn, she thought he wouldn't notice. She found it so hard to get rid of those earrings. She loved them to death.

"—Pleas don't do this." Sakura insisted.

"Alright." He said firmly noticing how uncomfortable she looked "Don't you want to order wine."

Sakura shook her head "No thank you."

Syaoran chuckled "No wine? Come on Sakura, the main reason people come to the Velvet Neon is for the best wine in town."

Sakura's eyes narrowed to him "I never chose the restaurant. You did."

He wiped off the smile on his face "I guess when you visited me; it had nothing to do with us getting back together. Something is obviously eating you up…what is it?"

Sakura looked into his eyes. She turned away then smiled.

"So, you're getting married."

He had a quizzical look on his face "Uh, yes."

"Have you finally met her?" Her tone was slowly breaking.

"Yes, I have."

Sakura hardened her heart "Do you like her?"

"She's—yes, I like her." He said boldly.

"So this means it's all going to work out for you. You're going to marry, have kids—start a family." She said intone.

He squinted for half a second "I don't know about the kids part. Rumiko doesn't want kids."

Sakura looked at him "So that's her name huh. Do you want kids?"

He paused and looked at her. He did not understand why she was asking him such random and awkward questions. She looked distressed staring back at him. Her eyes were dark and her face did not glow like it usually did back when they were together. A part of him felt afraid of her.

He let out a nervous laugh. The waiter came before he could give her an honest answer. He ordered red wine and she water.

Her eyes did not leave him. He took a quick sip of his wine.

"Now where were we?" he asked pretending to forget what she had asked him.

"Do you want children Syaoran?"

"No." he said slightly shaking his head.

Sakura's jaw dropped. Her heart was beating fast. That word, "No" was suicidal. Questions about their relationship crossed her mind. How could she not know this about him? She drank her water and pretended to be at ease.

"Never?" she asked in a desperate tone.

He took another sip of his wine "Never."

"Why not!?" she was practically shouting at him now.

His eyebrows descended, a suspicious look crossed his face "Well, I'm always on the go. I don't have the time and besides…I hate kids."

Sakura's eyes widened. She didn't know what to do. Should she tell him anyway? Should she walk away? Or should she pretend that she is alright and order dinner?

………………………….

A/N: Hello. Sorry, I know it's short. Hope you enjoyed it anyway. Thanks a lot for the reviews. If you want this story to go on please give it a review. Let me know if you like it or not. I hope you like drama cause there is tones of it coming up.


	3. Reasons not to cry

**SOMETIME IN APRIL**

**Chapter 3**

**Reasons not cry**

"_No__t like kids."_

Her mind replayed the line. She did not know what to say let alone do. She was traumatised and the whole fiasco looked like a scene from a latest Hollywood piece. She could already visualize it "Rich and Famous business man impregnates small town girl."

She smiled and he smiled back with calm nerves.

"Are you alright? That look in your eyes makes me feel uneasy." He confessed.

She chuckled "What look?"

"The look; the same look you had when I walked in here late."

"I'm perfectly fine; it's just stress."

"What can possibly have you all stressed up?" he asked.

"Work." She took a sip of her water then placed her hand on her cheek "So, what have you been up to?"

He smiled then started to talk about his journey to the Great Wall of China and something else about meeting some famous Dalai Lama. Sakura could not keep up. She kept her eyes fixed on him adding a regular chuckle and a 'yes' every now and then. It wasn't like she found his story boring; her mind just found it's wandering.

She looked at his lips and his hair and wondered if their child would inherit any of them. There was no doubt in her mind that he had great genes. He was smart, sophisticated and well mannered. It was no wonder she was attracted to him to begin with.

They were nothing alike. She had been the beauty in their romantic adventure and he had been the adventure itself. He had travelled all over the world his whole life. He was famous and his companies were growing exceedingly in Japan. She on the other hand did not have as much stories nor as much experience.

She was born in Tomeada, she grew up and went to School in Tomeada, she went to college in Tomeada and she only lived a few miles from Tomeada. She had never been in an airplane or met famous people. She started to wonder why he was once so attracted to her.

"Can you believe it?" he asked glowing with joy.

Sakura shook her head "Uh...no, I can't believe it."

During dinner he went on with his stories and he's future plans. Suddenly he paused then gave her a long adoring stare.

"So, what have you been doing for the past month? You said you had something important to tell me."

Sakura giggled. She found herself doing that more than she intended "The store, I've been focused on business."

"Come on Sakura; All business no pleasure." he smirked.

She knew exactly what he meant by pleasure "Tomoyo and I want to open a cafe next to the bookstore and our delivery service is much better than it used to be."

His smirk transformed into a flirtatious smile "Do you still hand deliver the books."

Sakura blushed. She remembered how he would order a book or two twice a day just to see her. "No." she replied firmly.

"Well, that's just too bad." his smile grew weak.

Sakura was barely there. She took no notice of the light music that played in the background nor of the drunk men that were making so much noise.

For dessert, he ordered heavenly fruit bars something he had yet to try. Sakura was not paying attention so she told the waiter that she'll have whatever he was having. As she munched on her dessert, Syaoran looked at her bothered. His eyebrows descended and a look of distaste and worry crossed his features.

Sakura stopped eating "What's wrong?"

"Uh..." he tried not to point "Your...your face looks like it's swelling."

Sakura looked down at her desert then back at him "What's in this?"

"I think It has raisins, cherries..." he paused then added" Peanuts."

Sakura nearly cried at the sound of the word "I'm...I'm allergic to peanuts." she said hiding her swollen face.

"Oh." he didn't know what to tell her.

"I have to get out of here before anyone else sees me." she said.

"Sakura come on. Get a grip, it's not that bad." he said trying hard to make her feel better.

Sakura uncovered her face and looked at him fearfully "Really."

Her face was worse than before. It was red and bumpy and (you get the idea).

Syaoran gave her an artificial smile "You see...it's not." he swallowed hard "It's not something a little makeup or maybe even a lot of make up can't fix."

Sakura rolled her eyes and hid her face "Great. You're making fun of me."

He stood up and walked over to her. He let his hand out and looked at her "Come on, lets get out of here. The hotel I'm staying at is only a few blocks from here."

Sakura looked at his lean hands. It was either go with him or drive all the way home looking like a red pig with a human body.

She held his hand. "Let's go."

She entered his room steadily letting him lead the way. He turned on the light then pointed her at the bed and said "Why don't you have a seat."

Sakura still wanted to hide her face but he appeared like he did not mind anymore. She sat on the bed then looked at him. Her face was painful; she could not form any other expression but despair.

"Why don't you spend the night?" he suggested.

Sakura laughed inwardly and thought "I can't believe this guy." She took her vision away from him and muttered bitterly "Forget it."

He chuckled "Come on; it will be just like old times."

Sakura managed a painful frown "No Syaoran; why don't you just drive me home. Don't you have a flight to China?"

He walked towards her then sat next to her "You don't look too well or sound too well. I'll go to China tomorrow. It's no problem." he smiled.

"I don't want to stay."

He chuckled "Sakura, don't you trust me."

"No." Sakura said finding it harder to talk.

"Maybe, you don't trust yourself around me." He said with delight.

Sakura sighed "Please—you wish. You and I are not alike."

He chuckled again "Wow, I'm shocked. What do you think I'll do, seduce you?"

Sakura nodded.

He smirked flirtatiously "Your head looks as heavy as a bowling ball..." he paused when he noticed the look of irritation on her face "No offence. Making out is out of the question and sleeping with you..." he winked at her "...let's save that for a rainy day."

Sakura blushed. Her face turned a darker shed of red.

He stood up and tucked his hands in his pocket "Is there anything I can get you. You look miserable."

Sakura could hardly believe it. Once again she was in the same room with him doing what she shouldn't, letting him win.

"Water is fine thank you."

Later that night as Sakura slept on his bed; he took off his jacket, loosened his tie and rolled up the sleeves of his shirt. He sat next to her and watched her adoringly as she slept.

She could feel his gaze lingering on her. How she desperately wished he'd stop. She slowly opened one of her eyes and caught him staring at her with a glow of joy in his amber eyes.

"You're already looking better." he said firmly.

"How long have I been asleep?" she asked turning her head to get a better look at him.

He looked at his wrist watch "Only two hours; it's almost midnight."

Sakura closed her eyes then took a deep breath "What an embarrassing situation."

He chuckled "You don't need to be embarrassed around me."

She shrugged slowly opening her eyes.

"I'm really sorry for making fun of you before. I didn't mean it." he smiled "If it makes you feel better, I can try to make you laugh...though I'm not that funny—as you may already know."

"You're not that bad." She said wishing she took back those words.

"Yeah; right. When we were together, you only laughed at my dumb jokes cause no one else did. You did it to make me feel better just like I always let you win whenever we competed in something—just to make you feel better."

Sakura kept her eyes fixed on him; she still felt this strong attraction to him. She still pictured herself in love with him and vice versa.

He cleared his throat "I went to an all boys boarding school during my high school years...you can imagine how horrible that must been. During the awkward years I was the butt of all jokes. My Mom made me get these braces and I had zits and-- you know, puberty happened and it was harsh on me at the beginning. So I wasn't the most popular guy—that was grade eight. I once got stung by a bee, on both my upper lip and lower lip. You can imagine how horrible I looked. They called me names for the whole year and I couldn't even chew my food for a couple of days."

Sakura smiled, _"How come he never told me this kind of stuff before?"_ she asked herself.

"I don't believe it." she told him.

"It's true."

She wanted to know more about him "And your family; what are they like?"

"I have four sisters and all of them are married with children. You won't believe this but no then have a son."

Sakura sat up "Really." The only thing going through her mind now was whether they were going to have a boy or a girl.

He nodded, looked away then smiled "I come from a long line of swordsmen, magicians and well respected men and women. It's hard to live up to that kind of reputation."

"Don't worry about it. I think you're doing great."

He looked at her and smiled again "I'm glad we met up. It's nice to have a meaningful conversation with someone so...normal. I didn't think it possible at first but I think you and I can be really good friends."

She was trying not get too caught up in the moment. She nodded then closed her eyes.

That morning, Syaoran woke up from the couch. His mind first wandered off to Sakura and how she was doing. He stood up and looked at the bed. She was not there. He hoped that she did not leave without saying goodbye.

Suddenly he heard coughing coming from the bathroom. He walked towards the bathroom door and stood a few inches from it.

"Are you alright in there...Sakura?" he asked concerned. He could tell that she was vomiting.

There was no reply.

Sakura opened the door and found him standing in her way.

"Are you alright?"

Her eyes were red and she looked exhausted. She nodded "I'm fine."

He sensed that she was lying. He looked at her pretty face then smirked "At least your face is back to normal."

"Uh...oh yes. Can you please move Syaoran? I have to go."

The feeling was familiar. Unlike the other time, this time he was going to make her stay.

"Go where." he asked purposely.

"Home." she said briskly.

He got out of her way "Please; at least stay for breakfast."

She walked over to the bed and sat on it. She picked up one of her stilettos from the floor and put them on.

"I can't; I have to go to work."

He croaked his head. He had the cutest look on his face.

"Just this once."

She pretended to laugh.

"What's so funny?"

She put on her other shoe "You; why don't you just get over me. You're engaged to what's her name. Engaged men don't go around begging some middle classed, small town girl to have breakfast with them-- especially rich and famous engaged men."

He's jaw tightened "It's only breakfast Sakura. I'm not asking you to run away with me."

She laughed genuinely this time "That's funny; that's how the affair started. It started with dinner, then breakfast, lunch...and the rest is history. You might as well be asking me to run away with you."

"Why do you do this? Every time I get close to you, you leave me the very next morning."

"This is different from the last time."

"How?"

Sakura shook her head "You won't understand."

He folded his arms across his chest "What's not to understand? Can't we just be friends? Sakura, you're the most amazing woman I've ever met and I still want you in my life."

Sakura walked over to him "I don't want to be good friends with you and I am not amazing or any other crazy thing you think I am." Before she the tears filled her eyes she smiled and looked up at him "I'm just me and I won't cry because…I know I can start over." She held her tears back.

Syaoran was speechless and confused.

An hour she was gone, he realised that she had forgotten her handbag on the bed. It was small, black and made from a leather material.

He was thankful she did. It gave him a great excuse to see her again. She was like a drug that got him asking for more.

Her handbag wad open. He sat on the bed and tried to close the zip but it wouldn't budge. He rolled his eyes frustrated and decided to empty it first then try the zip again.

He took out her lipstick.

Her eye shadow and some more make-up.

Her cell phone.

Her credit card.

Then suddenly there was an empty box. Syaoran read the label which said **"HOME PREGNANCY TEST"**

His eyebrows shot up as the picture became clear. They was she acted and the questions she asked—it all made sense.

…………………

**A/N: Depressing— I know…but unfortunately short…again—sorry. I can't help it, I love sad moments, it's weird O.o but don't worry I also love happy endings. She didn't tell him but he found out anyway. I wish I described everything better though. Anyway, please let me know what you thought of this. Thanks for the past reviews and reviews hopefully (fingers crossed) to come.**


	4. Loose ends

A/N: here's a treat, I know I've been slouching lately. I skipped a week of publishing so I decided to publish two chapters this time around. I don't know how much of a good idea this is but I hope you can review both chapters and I hope you enjoy this one. If it all works out, I might just start publishing two chapters at a time. I want to finish this fan fiction so that I can have time for the other two.

**SOMETIME IN APRIL**

**Chapter 4**

Loose ends

Although it was only eight o'clock and the sun had already risen and the morning was still as all summer mornings are. It was very quiet at the Stars bookstore. Outside, the roads were overfilled with girls in school uniform, working men and women and cars. Inside the bookstore, Sakura sat behind the counter which she was supposed to be dusting.

Tomoyo pushed the front door which automatically set the tiny bell above it to ring. She held a box of donuts and a container of coffee in the other hand.

She took a deep breath then looked at her dazed friend.

"Sakura, what are you doing? We only have 30 minutes till we open."

She smiled "Good morning to you too."

Tomoyo sighed and walked over to her. She steadily placed the coffee and the donuts on the counter.

"Thank God you bought donuts." Sakura said grabbing the box.

"Relax they're not all yours." Tomoyo said firmly.

Sakura bit off a huge piece from the donut. She chewed it quickly "I've been craving for this all morning."

"You know what; you can have the other one."

Sakura smiled "Thanks."

Tomoyo leaned her hands on the counter "Did you tell him?"

Sakura stopped chewing then she swallowed hard. She wiped off the chocolate icing from her lips then looked at Tomoyo attentively.

"Did you tell him?" Tomoyo repeated.

Sakura shrugged her shoulders.

"What is that supposed mean….you didn't tell him, did you?" she said apprehensively.

Sakura put the donut back into the box. "Before you get all mad at me, I have a good reason for not telling him." She took a deep breath. "He said that he doesn't like kids."

Tomoyo had a disapproving look on her face.

"I was heart broken." Sakura defended herself "You should have seen him. He was so proud and happy and…I spent the night and realized…"

"Spent the night?" Tomoyo's jaw dropped.

Sakura was trying not to smile "He tricked me into doing it; besides my face was swollen—peanuts and I couldn't tell him. If I was aggressive, he would have seen that something wasn't right. I wanted him to believe I was alright so that I can make a clean gate away. He lives in his own world and I'd be ruining it and I'm scared of rejection—I'm scared he'll reject my unborn child."

Tomoyo lightly hit her friend on the shoulder "Your carrying his child too. What if he does care?"

"He doesn't."

Tomoyo still had a critical look on her face "I still think you should tell him."

Sakura croaked her head and smiled "He's on his flight back to China. On the plus side, I found this website with all this cool baby stuff." She uttered her first words of gladness. Brightening up further she added "I can't wait till I start purchasing **his** stuff."

"His?" Tomoyo asked now opening the blinds "Isn't it a little too early to tell."

Sakura shrugged her shoulders then smiled "I know it's a boy."

"Sakura, you can't be too sure."

Sakura put her hand to her abdomen. "I'm certain. I can't wait." She cackled with glee.

Tomoyo was happy to see her finally together—at least when it came to her unborn child. As she drew the other blinds she saw a red convertible pull over in front of the store.

She turned around and looked at Sakura "Guess whose here?"

Sakura shrugged.

"Syaoran."

Sakura squinted "Isn't he supposed to be on his way to China…maybe he's here to return my handbag."

"He's getting out of his car." Tomoyo said still watching him.

"Tell him I'm not here." Sakura walked into the staff room where she closed the door and stood still.

Syaoran open the front door and the tiny bell rang. He caught Tomoyo tidying a couple of books on the shelf.

"Good morning." He said firmly.

Tomoyo smiled "Good morning. We don't open till 8:30."

He half smiled back "Uh, that's not what I'm here for." His eyebrows descended and he wore a pensive look. "Where is Sakura?" he said in a hoarse tone.

Tomoyo shrugged "I haven't seen her all morning."

He looked at her intensely; if looks could kill Tomoyo would have been dead already.

Tomoyo felt the sweat break from her forehead "Why don't you come in the afternoon."

One of his eyebrows jerked. He was clearly a man not to be messed around with.

"Tell her I need to talk to her…it's important." He said placing heavy emphasis on the word 'important'.

Tomoyo freaked out. She bit her lip then said hesitantly "She doesn't want to talk to you."

He sighed placing Sakura's handbag on the counter "Tell her I'm not in the mood for childish games."

Tomoyo reckoned what was making him so angry—he found out.

As Sakura stood behind the staff door, she swallowed hard. He's angry voice seeped from under the door. She took a deep breath and opened the door.

He rotated his head to look at her. She stood in the middle of the open door with her hands across her chest. Her honey hair touched her face gently. She wore a pair of skinny jeans that perfectly hugged her delicate frame with a white wrap top.

"What could be so important?" She asked.

He wasn't smiling and her question only provoked him further.

She walked back into the staff room and he followed her. She pretended to be busy. She opened a few cardboard boxes and unpacked the books. He stood at a corner and said nothing at first.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked suddenly.

Sakura shrugged keeping her face away from him "You didn't exactly make it easy for me."

He was quiet again; he still needed a few more seconds to absorb the confirmation. "Am I the father?" it was a stupid question but it was all he could say.

"What do you think?" she said with no trace of emotion.

"How…how could it have happened?" another question that he already knew the answer to. They did not use any contraception…he knew that.

She turned around and looked at him. A heavy book fell from the table and slapped the wooden floor. It made a loud banging noise that killed the tension and coincide with the beat of her heart. It seemed like every dust particle arose from the floor and stuck to their throats making it harder to breathe.

"I have a hunch. It could have been that time you tripped and fell on top of me." she replied with bitter sarcasm.

He faked a chuckle "You're enjoying this. You think it's alright to keep something like this a secret. When were you planning on telling me?"

Sakura turned away from him and picked the book from the floor "How about—never and no, I'm not enjoying this. I wish I was but it's all too much to put up with."

"Never?" His jaw tightened.

"You remember **never**, you used it yesterday when you said you **never** want kids."

He moved a few steps closer to her "I didn't know you were preg…" he couldn't say it.

She sighed "What difference does it make? You love your life; I saw it in your eyes. You wouldn't want to let it go just for a child you didn't even plan to have with a woman you didn't mean to sleep with. You managed to keep me your dirty little secret. I don't want our child to be another one of your secrets." Her tone held a mixture of emotions. The argument she had practiced eluded her. She went from thought to thought. She was angry, sad and hurt "I was doing you a favor."

A wave of pain and self-doubt nearly suffocated him "That night we spent together was not something that just happened." He didn't know what it was he was really trying to say.

She stood up and looked at him. He could now see her pleading watery eyes.

"Yes it was." She hugged her body "None of us were prepared; we acted like a couple of crazy teenagers acting purely on our hormones."

"But Sakura…."

"Don't say it." she said hesitantly "There are only two things I need to know."

He was a short distance from her "What is it?" he whispered barely able to contain himself.

A sudden chilling silence descended upon them. A tear flowed from her left eye. She quickly mopped it away. He stretched his hand and he took hold of her shoulder. His hand was so fierce that she winced from the pain but he did notice a thing. He kept his vision on her eyes. He tried to pull her closer to him for a hug but she pulled away as though utterly disgusted or terrified of him.

"How did you find out I was pregnant?" she asked between clenched teeth.

He looked down "You left your handbag and the zip is broken. There was an empty box and…." He stopped talking when he noticed her slightly shake her head.

"Now that you know, what are you going to do about it?"

His eyebrows rose. He folded his hands and held them above his head then folded them across his chest immediately after that. "Honestly…I don't know."

She held her face up high to see better in his face and as he shrugged his shoulders in confirmation, she lost control of herself. She gasped and broke into tears. He saw the agony that came with her face. She buried her face in her hands and started to cry.

He couldn't move, he didn't know what to do but a voice in his head was yelling at him and telling him 'wrong answer'.

"Sakura don't cry please." He begged in the most childlike tone.

She was finding it difficult to breathe.

"What do you want me to say?"

She uncovered her face, her eyes were red and her face was wet. "Say you'll try."

He closed his eyes "Nothing I say is right."

She sniffled.

He took a step back "I'm sorry." He spoke to comfort her though he's spirit was heavy with sorrow.

"Just leave." She muttered with eyes still burning with tears.

"Sakura….."

"Go away! You can pay child support if you wish to. I'll…we'll be just fine without you."

He took a few steps back then nodded. He turned his back then looked at her over his shoulder. He watched her fall apart but all he could do was stop and stare. She didn't want him around. He opened the staff door the closed it behind him. He walked out of the shop without saying goodbye or glimpsing at Tomoyo.

After he was gone, Tomoyo rushed to the staff room. She found Sakura on the floor leaning against the wall. Her face was in her palm. She gasped and sniffled like a little girl. Tomoyo slowly sat next to her.

Sakura drew her head from her palms and looked at Tomoyo "He said he doesn't know."

Tomoyo hugged Sakura "I heard everything."

"I told him it was fine but, I really want him to be there."

………………………….

Syaoran opened his eyes startled. Sweat drops had already emerged on his forehead and he was trembling. He couldn't tell if he was awake or still dreaming. It had been his conscious in the form of a nightmare. It was the guilt in his stomach that he could no longer tame.

He sat up and looked at the clock on his bedside table. It was past midnight and he was certain that he would not be able to sleep unless he solved this problem.

Sakura pressed her left hand and forehead on her bedroom window. She observed the raindrops as they slithered down the window pane. The moon rose over the tall buildings where the moonlight extended its ghostly sheet. She slowly moved her hand down and quivered at the sound of thunder. It was something she would never admit but she was afraid to be alone in her apartment during a storm.

It was one of those predictable storms that came with a wind so aggressive it scared the leaves off the branches. She could not sleep. She kept the lights on and thought of what a horrible day it was. She was skeletal from the love that was famished.

She walked into the kitchen and turned on the radio—just another stupid love song. She turned it off and took out a carton of orange juice from the fridge. She threw herself on the living room couch and turned on the television.

Unexpectedly there was a knock on her door that made her want to scream. Her heart was in her throat and she could barely catch her breath. She put the carton of orange juice on the coffee table and walked steadily to the door.

"_Who could possibly be here at this time of day?"_ she asked herself. They were many possible answers to that kind of question.

"Who is it?" she asked putting her ear to the door.

"It's me."

His voice sent shivers down her spine. She swallowed hard and closed her eyes. "What do want?"

There was a short silence before he replied "I want to talk to you."

"Well, I don't want to talk to you." She said slowly opening her eyes.

"Why not?"

She rolled her eyes. He obviously knew why, he probably just wanted her to say it "Go home!"

"I'm sorry." He said sensitively.

"Sorry won't fix anything."

He sighed "Sakura! Please just let me explain. I never meant to make you cry or hurt you."

"You did anyway."

"Sakura—" before he could continue his sentence the voice of a man yelled angrily at him "Will you shut up! We're trying to get some sleep here..."

Syaoran looked at the man peeping from the door next to Sakura's apartment door. The man was bald and middle-aged. Syaoran sighed and banged on Sakura's door "I know that answer was not what you—"

"Get out of here! The lady wants nothing to do with you!"

Syaoran looked at the man again "Will you mind your own business."

The man's jaw drop. He couldn't believe how ill-mannered this young man was being.

"Sakura please!" Syaoran yelled just to put it in the man's face.

Sakura slightly opened the door. She peeped through a tiny space between the doorframe and the door itself.

"Will you shut up and go home. You're waking up the neighbors." She whispered.

"I won't leave until you give me a chance."

Sakura sighed "Then I guess you'll be waiting for an eternity."

"Maybe 'I don't know' was not the right answer."

Sakura closed the door and locked it.

"Fine, it was the wrong answer!" he yelled.

The middle-aged man was still watching Syaoran angrily "You really need to learn to accept rejection. Who would blame her for hating an inconsiderate bastard with the sensitivity of a cabbage like you?"

Syaoran frowned at the man then turned away.

Sakura turned off the television and decided to finally go to bed. She turned off her bedroom lights and sat on the bed.

"I guess he's gone." She said to herself.

"SAKURA! SAKURA!!!! I know you can here me!" Syaoran yelled from outside.

"I spoke too soon." Sakura turned on the lights and walked toward her bedroom window.

It was not raining anymore. He was standing outside looking up at her. He was thankful that she lived on the second floor. She pulled her head out through the window.

"Go home!" she yelled down to him "You're making noise. Damn it Syaoran it's nearly one o'clock."

"I just need you to listen to me; it's about our unborn child!"

"_Great! Now the whole world knows I'm pregnant."_ She thought as she cleared her throat. "Come back tomorrow!"

"I won't be able to get any sleep unless we talk so I'm not leaving."

She pulled her head out from the window and closed the window. She could hear the neighbors shouting at Syaoran and cursing him.

"I'm going to climb up!" he yelled "Did you hear me…I'm coming up." Sakura's jaw drop. He was insane.

She got an idea. She went into the bathroom, filled a bucket with cold water. She opened her bedroom window and looked down at him.

"Hey Syaoran!"

He was still on the ground looking up "Yes!"

Sakura lifted the bucket and poured all the water on him. She giggled and waited to see what he'll do next.

His was completely wet. He chuckled "I understand. I deserved that. Just open the door…please."

Sakura leaned on the window seal. She looked at him looking up at her. He had stolen her heart from the minute they locked eyes when they first met. She knew it in her heart that she did not have the capability to hate him.

She sighed "Come up."

"What! I can't hear you!"

Sakura sighed again "You can come in now."

He smiled then rushed back into the building, up the stairs to her apartment door.

Sakura opened the front door. His hair was wet and clung to his face. His eyes were bright and he was smiling like the sun had just come out. The green t-shirt he was wearing clung to his muscles…his chest…his six pack (A/N alright, I'm sure you already get the idea—he looks **very** sexy (blushes -.-).

She looked right in his face. He stared at her eagerly catching at the hope of what a single word meant.

After a long interval of awkwardness, he spoke in a gentle voice "I'm here now…" he said

The young man was bleary eyed from exhaustion. He took a deep breath "I don't want to miss out. I'm going to be there for our….our child; that's if you let me."

………………………

**A/N: I liked this chapter, better than the last. The hardest bit was coming up with the name of Sakura's and Tomoyo's book store. I came up with 'Stars book store' which I think is kind of lame. If you have a better name let me know because I'll be referring to the bookstore a lot. Tell me what you thought of this chapter by pressing this button below. Even if you thought it was wack. If they are any errors sry, I've been making a few errors lately only because I'm writing more than one story and I'm always in a rush to edit. Speaking of other stories…….**

………

**IMPORTANT NOTICE**

**I'm sorry but if you are reading my other stories (Engaged and Underage and Define Sanity), I'm going to take even longer to update them. I got three fan fiction ideas at once and I couldn't wait to put them up. Writing three stories at once isn't as easy as I thought it would be and the reviews were slightly disappointing considering the amount hours I use up writing each chapter for each story. At some point it was also stressing. The choice was hard but, right now I'm concentrating on Sometime in April because it gets the most reviews. It'll probably be 10 to 12 chapters long. I love the other two fan fictions so I will complete them just not anytime soon. Please don't be disappointed, thanks for all the great reviews.**

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**PS REVIEWS PLZ. \(-)/**

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	5. The secret life of us

**SOMETIME IN APRIL**

**Chapter 5**

The secret life of us

"How do I know you're serious?"

He held his breath long enough to let the unpleasant silence that separated them to disperse "I'm standing outside your door at one am, all wet and exhausted…is that good enough for you?"

As she looked in his face, her heart sank. He ran his fingers through his drenched hair and wiped his wet face with his hand.

"Come in." the words poised on her lips.

Sakura let him in. She closed the door, turned around and looked at him. She could not deny the feelings that were surfacing in her heart. He stood in the middle of the room and looked at her. His gaze was so intense she could feel it on her body. Whenever he gave her that gaze—number 3, she called it, she felt like the only one. The only one for him, the only one that could get him to do that, the only one he loved, which was clearly not true.

He slightly croaked his head "Do you have an extra shirt or towel…I'm kind of freezing." He said timidly.

Sakura mentally hit herself on the head "Oh, yeah….just wait here."

She was uncertain of what her role was in this awkward situation. She feared that her absent mindedness would become a contagious plague and they would glance at one other in deadly silence with nothing meaningful to say.

She grabbed two towels from a basket in her bedroom. She stopped in her tracks before she reached the doorway. She turned around and looked at the room. She remembered that she had kept one of his t-shirts. He had left it behind one night when they were together. She pulled the second drawer. It was neatly folded on top of her t-shirts. The minute she placed a finger on it, distant memories came soaring back. She could already see him wearing it.

They were in the kitchen when it all happened. They were sitting next to each other simply doing what they did best when they were together. They talked and displayed their affection towards each other. He held her hand and leaned his head on her shoulder. He smelled her hair assuming she didn't notice. He rubbed his nose on her cheek then kissed it. He whispered in her ear a few meaningful words. Sakura laughed nervously then jerked her elbow. The movement of her elbow caused a glass of raspberry juice on the table to fall over and the juice spilled on his shirt.

"I'm so sorry." She apologized while standing up.

He grinned automatically at those eyes that met his "It's alright; I needed an excuse to take my shirt off anyway." He said frivolously.

She smiled back at him pleased "Uh…don't move. I'll get you a towel."

After she found a towel, she stood still when she heard his footsteps approaching her. Before she could turn around, she felt a pair of strong arms grab her waist from behind. He kissed her jaw line. He whispered softly in her ear "I already missed you. It was the most dreadful minute of my entire existence."

She chuckled "You smell like strawberries." She said holding unto his arms while keeping him aware that she was pleased with what he was doing and wanted him not to stop.

"I don't know what you're talking about." He said in the cutest voice planting a playful kiss on her smooth neck.

Sakura effortlessly turned around. She looked into his eyes then gazed at his lips. She shook her head "I don't know how you did it?"

He smirked "Did what?"

"You ate the last slice of the strawberry cheese cake." She paused, dropped the towel then wrapped her hands around his neck "You have icing on your lips."

"What can I say, I was hungry."

She looked at him from soft emerald eyes and he was ready to kiss her.

"Let me get rid of that for you." She stood on the tip of her toes and kissed his lips.

The more they kissed the more she starved for more. The moment became so intense she felt her self-control sliding away. Her lips were smooth as they grazed his irregular ones. He traced her hips and her waist.

"The more we kiss…the closer I need to get to you." He said in her lips.

Sakura shook her head and snapped out of the flashback. She was immobilized by the thought of him. She hugged her body and gulped. Her heart began to race and she told herself _"Get a grip Sakura"_

As she walked into the living room she caught him looking through her new book collection. She had found a few books at the bookstore about babies and pregnancy.

"This is so weird." He said looking across his shoulder at her.

"What is?"

He turned around and looked at her "You and I…expecting."

Sakura walked over to him and handed him the towels "I guess it is…" she smiled sheepishly. It wasn't that weird. She had always imagine herself having his children.

"One night can really change it all huh?" he took the towels from her hand.

Sakura nodded and handed him the t-shirt "You left this behind that one time." She said coyly.

"You kept it?" he asked surprised.

She shrugged her shoulders "I just found it hard to dispose. I remember how much you loved this t-shirt."

"So you knew that you were going to see me again."

Sakura looked down "I had a feeling."

He slowly smiled and his facial appearance softened "So did I."

Sakura refused to comment on that so she kept her silence.

"I'm happy you kept it…if it's any consolation, I kept your underwear. You know, the one you told me never to return to you."

Sakura's face turned red. Her eyebrows descended and she glared at him gravely.

"What's wrong?" he asked grinning. He was aware that he had provoked her. He enjoyed playing with her.

"I wish you would wipe that stupid grin off your face. Why do you find so much delight making remarks regarding you and I?"

"Why do you get so angry when I do?"

She turned away "I've been trying, since we broke up, to erase those memories."

His eyes widened. If she was anything like him, erasing those memories would be impossible "Just for the record we didn't break up. You broke up with me."

Sakura rolled her eyes "You're impossible. I'm trying to make this easy for the both of us. I just need you to stop."

He took a deep breath "The reason why I do it is because I like to see you blush and get all embarrassed—but I'll stop." Where was the fun in that; there was nothing more fulfilling that a statement that strengthened the sexual tension he felt was still between them.

He wiped his hair roughly and placed the other towel over his shoulder. "I'll go change."

She dismissed him with her eyes.

……………………………..

He caught her in the kitchen behind the counter "So tell me; when will the baby be born? How long have you known, were you freaked out? Because I was pulling my hair out."

Sakura opened the cupboard.

"I was—maybe more." She paused as she took out a jar of peanut butter. "The baby should be here sometime in April and I found out the day before yesterday—the same day I was planning to tell you." She wondered if she had answered all his questions.

He nodded.

"Are you hungry?" she asked walking behind the counter.

"Yes." He said firmly.

"Good cause I'm starving and I hate to eat alone."

"You hate doing many things alone."

"That's only one thing."

He shot her a tiny smirk that brightened up the ember in his eyes and made him look like he was going to giggle. "Sakura, I knew you would be awake. You hate to sleep alone when it's raining. You hate going out at night alone and I guess you would have hated taking care of our child alone."

Sakura kept her eyes away from his "What made you change your mind? I thought you hated kids and never want any."

He shrugged his shoulders "That was yesterday…..and I'll like our kid. A mini us can't be a bad thing."

Sakura nodded approvingly.

"Now that we have the baby issue settled; what are we going to do about us?" He asked trying hard not to put too much emphasis on the topic.

She finally looked at him. "What do you mean us?"

"I mean since you're pregnant I'll be visiting more often and we'll be spending a lot of time together." He took an apple from the bowl of fruits just to look occupied.

She placed her hands on her hips "Don't you have a wedding to plan. I thought you're getting married in four weeks."

"I'll postpone it."

Sakura paused. She tucked her hair behind her ear "Why?"

"It feels like the right thing to do; the wedding can always be next year."

Sakura's eyebrows shot up "You don't have to."

"I want to." He said giving her a long momentous gaze.

Sakura didn't say anything and he knew he won. She finished making the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. They sat in the living room. He sat on the armchair and she lay comfortably on the couch.

"So do you plan to live a double life or are you finally going to tell the world about our secret life." She said with a stroke of suspense in her tone.

"I've decided to tell them—my parents and everyone." His eyes once again narrowed to her direction. "I'm not that coward anymore."

"You can't back down on us." Sakura told him slightly wearily.

"I know."

She closed her eyes and exhaled. He couldn't keep his eyes off her.

She smiled at him "We can only be friends. I don't want us to be one of those separated parents who are constantly arguing."

"I absolutely agree." he said in the most unconvincing manner.

"I mean it Syao…I think you and I can be friends. You were right."

He nodded.

…………………………………

That afternoon Sakura decided to go grocery shopping before visiting her Father in Tomedea. At the counter, after everything was scanned and packed into plastic bags, she searched in her handbag for her purse. She fumbled in it then looked at the lady behind the counter.

"Wait…I know it's in here somewhere." She laughed nervously.

The woman shook her head.

Embarrassed, she sheepishly smiled as she emptied her handbag. She glanced at the young packer who was standing idly by, leaning against one of the takeout trolleys. It was then she noticed there weren't many people in the store.

"Damn it." Sakura said in soliloquy.

It finally hit her. She had forgotten her purse on the living room couch. This was the second time she had left something important behind.

"Oh no." she sighed "You see, I forgot it. I was in such a hurry." She explained patiently.

The woman shook her head. "Why don't you leave this stuff behind, go back home, get the money then come back."

"No, I can't, I'm far from home."

Sakura felt someone tap her shoulder "Hey…uh I can help you."

Sakura turned around and found a beautiful woman staring back at her. She had eyes like raindrops and dark hair. She was slender with a perfect tan complexion. She was obviously not from Tomedea. She looked like a movie star with her fancy clothes and perfect appearance.

"Huh." Sakura said dumbstruck.

"I can pay for you…if you don't mind."

The problem was she did mind. She never liked the idea of being paid for. She felt self-conscious. "It's fine."

"No please I insist. I forget my purse all the time." She said sincerely.

"Thank you but I'm fine, really." Sakura protested.

The woman rolled her eyes and grabbed Sakura's hand. She shoved the money in her hands and said "Just take it."

Sakura took the money. "Thank you."

She smiled compassionately "You're welcome."

As she walked back to her car, Sakura saw the woman standing outside the store. She walked over to her and smiled.

"Thank you again. Sorry for being so stubborn…I can pay you back."

"I don't blame you. You don't need to pay me back…I just need a favor."

"What is it?"

She took a deep breath "I'm not from around here. I mean I am from Japan, I just haven't been here since I was nine." She chuckled.

"Are you lost?"

She sheepishly smiled "Yes. I've lived abroad most of my life and now I'm back here to get married in 4 weeks—is that too much information?"

Sakura shook her head "No, by the way I'm Sakura Kinomoto."

She looked at Sakura still smiling "I'm Rumiko Kanzaki."

"_Rumiko? Where have I heard that name?"_ Sakura thought. (duh)

"You can just call me miko."

Sakura smiled "Where are you trying to get to?"

"My grandparents; They live in this town called Tomedea."

"You are in Tomedea."

She took a deep breath "Good."

"If you get lost again or need any help just call me."

Sakura gave Rumiko her number. They said goodbye and went their separate ways.

……………………………..

At her Fathers' house, Sakura was in the kitchen unpacking all the groceries.

"You didn't have to Sakura." Fujitaka said from the living room.

Sakura opened the fridge—it was empty. She sighed "Dad, it had to be done. Your fridge is empty."

"I was going to go shopping—eventually."

Sakura chuckled, she knew that when it came to her father 'eventually' meant never. She put a carton of milk in the fridge. Her father entered the kitchen with the remote control in his hands.

"The remote is broken again."

Sakura paused to look at him before carrying on with her task "Maybe the batteries are dead."

"I just bought them."

Sakura sighed "Dad…."

"Yes…" he said still fidgeting with the remote control.

"I won't be able to visit you as much as I do for the next couple of months. I've got all these appointments and once the baby arrives it will be even harder."

"Huh?" he said only paying attention to the remote control.

"The baby—once the baby is here I won't be able to do your shopping for you." She said casually like she was telling him everyday news.

"What baby?" Fujitaka paused.

She smiled "My baby; I thought I told you."

His eyebrows descended as his eyes narrowed towards her direction. He realized that she was serious. His jaw dropped and he gave her a puzzled glance. "You never told me anything."

Sakura pretended to think "I thought I did." She was quiet aware that she did not tell him. Her response felt like an easier way to break the news to him.

He stood still and stared at her.

Sakura closed the fridge "I know I'm not married but that doesn't make this baby a bad thing."

"It's him isn't it?" he finally spoke. "It's Mr. Li"

Sakura shrugged her shoulders. She knew what he was going to say next. She had already prepared for the lecture. She looked at him attentively.

"Didn't I tell you to stay away from him?"

Sakura twisted her mouth "I know…but Dad, you see—"

He cut her off "I specifically told you he was engaged. I knew it….I knew from the moment you two met it would be trouble. I can't believe you decided to go for him anyway."

Sakura took a deep breath.

"Do you have any idea what you have gotten yourself into?" he put the remote on the counter "We're talking about one of the most powerful families in China. When they arranged for their son to be married they were more than serious. It won't matter that you're carrying his child, he will never be yours. He will always belong to her."

Sakura held her tears back "I know…I've always known."

"Then why did you do it? I thought I raised you to be smarter than that."

Sakura held her head up high and looked at him "You also raised me to follow my heart. I loved him more than I've ever loved anyone."

Fujitaka's feathers softened as he looked at his distressed daughter. He took a deep breath and asked "Does he know?"

Sakura nodded "I told him yesterday."

"What does he plan to do about it?"

Sakura smiled in order to calm her furious Father "We broke up a long time ago. He's gone home and he's going to tell his parent and he'll help me take care of our child. He's a good man Dad. You even said so yourself. "

Fujitaka looked down then back up at Sakura "That was before he got you pregnant. I don't know what you saw in him."

Sakura swallowed hard. She knew exactly what she saw in him. In him she saw a great man. He was everything she could ever dream of. He was insanely handsome. He always knew how to make her smile. He had been very kind and giving. Despite his recent his behavior, she still believed that he was still the same man she fell in love with.

"Why don't you move back in? Your apartment is no place to raise a child."

Sakura croaked her head "As much as I appreciate the offer, my apartment is perfectly fine. I have two extra rooms and it's close to work."

He shook his head worriedly "The city is loud and all the pollution."

Sakura smiled "Dad; you said the same thing when I wanted to move out. It's not as bad as you think and I'll eventually move."

"You're stubborn…just like your mother."

Sakura's father made further attempts to convince her to come back home but failed. After an hour of talking and eating with him Sakura left for home.

……………………………………..

**1 week later**

It was the day Sakura was to see Syaoran again. She was eager to see him….she didn't miss him or anything, she just wanted to see him. That morning while tidying up the extra room she had used as a storage compartment, she came across a tall round mirror. She had found it in the apartment when she moved in. She stared back at her reflection.

'_Maybe I should get a haircut._' She thought pulling her hair back. She turned to the side then stared at her stomach. There was no difference; her stomach was still as flat as a surfboard. She rubbed her abdomen and smiled. After that she grabbed a nearby cushion and tucked it under her white vest. She placed her hands on her waist and sighed._ 'this is you in a couple of months.' _She told herself.

"Already?" a voice came from behind her.

Sakura was startled at the sound of his voice. She looked in the mirror and saw Syaoran's reflection. He was slouching at the doorway with his hands in his pocket and a corky grin on his face.

Sakura turned around then blushed. Her heart fluttered a little. She pulled the cushion from under her shirt and tossed it on the floor.

His face lit up like a flaming fire.

Her eyes turned sharply towards him "You're back?" She asked looking surprised.

"Did you think I was running away?"

She shook her head "No. I didn't; I just thought you would come later, that's all." She tucked her hair behind her ear.

"I just got back. I wanted to see how you were doing."

She smiled quietly "I'm fine. I was just clearing up. How did you get in?"

"The door was open."

Sakura lightly hit her forehead "Oh yeah." Her eyes wandered across the room "This will be the nursery."

He looked around. It had yellow wallpaper and a wooden floor. Streaks of sunlight darted between the shutters. There was a chestnut shelf which had a musty appearance of a country home. On top of the shelf were items rarely touched gathering dust and grime with the years.

"It's alright, but should you be cleaning?"

"Syaoran I'm pregnant, not dieing."

"I think you shouldn't do this on your own." He took off his jacket. He threw it on a wooden chair and rolled up his sleeves. "So what's next?"

"Just help me carry this old stuff out of here."

He nodded. "sure."

"Syaoran before we get to work." Sakura paused then looked at him seriously "I told my father about us and the baby."

"Really? What did he say?" He said looking skeptical.

"I think he's a little disappointed in me but he's happy. What did your mother say?"

Syaoran rubbed his nose then half smiled "Same thing."

Sakura looked at him as though she was expecting him to say more so he did.

"She said she can't wait to be a grandmother and….she would like to meet you eventually." He said now with a full smile.

Sakura had a quizzical look on her face "And she's not mad at you for having an affair."

He shook his head "She was—a little…at first."

"What exactly did you tell her?"

He relaxed his shoulders and tried to keep a straight face "I told her that I fell madly in love and we made a baby by mistake." He chuckled proving to her that he was taking all this as a joke.

Sakura gave him a cynical look that sent shivers down his spine.

He was trying so hard to make the lie true. He did not have the aptitude to tell her the truth. He refused to make her sad after he played hero a week back. He made promises that were now weighing heavy on his shoulders. He couldn't tell his mother; she was ecstatic. All she talked about was his and Rumiko's wedding. She praised him for being so patient and responsible. All he needed was more time and he would tell Yelan. Right now he had to convince Sakura that her pregnancy and their affair was no longer a secret.

"Are you sure?"

He looked at her seriously "I told her everything. She's alright with it."

Sakura shed a weak smile "That's good news."

…………………………..

**A/N: This chapter is a foundation for a bigger story. Hope you also liked it, Reviews plz**


	6. My father's son

Disclaimer: I do not own ccs, clamp does

**SOMETIME IN APRIL**

**Chapter 6**

My Fathers' son 

**one months later**

"Hmmm, are you sure he is expecting you?" The receptionist asked raising an eyebrow.

Sakura nodded "Can you just tell him I'm here please."

The woman faintly smiled "He has a very important guest."

Sakura gave the woman a genuine smile "I'll wait. Do you know how long he'll be?"

"Five to ten minutes."

Sakura nodded again. The woman pointed her to the waiting area. She sat on a blue couch and browsed through a couple of business magazines.

"Sakura Kinomoto, is that really you?"

Sakura looked up; it was a familiar face. She smiled at him and stood up. She didn't know if she should hug him or shake his hand. He moved closer to her and gave her a friendly hug.

"What are you doing here?" She asked as he released her.

"Business." He said in a hoarse tone "How about you? Please don't tell me you work at Li. Corp."

Sakura shook her head "No…" she giggled coyly "I'm waiting for a friend."

Eriol had navy hair and dark eyes. He was the complete description of tall, dark and handsome.

He smiled at her "You look great, no longer that preppy girl who used to come knocking on my front door every Saturday morning."

Sakura tucked her hair behind her ear and flushed coyly. He looked dashing sophisticated in his navy blue suit. He represented a sex appeal in an appeasing kind of way.

"Eriol…look at you, how long have you been in town?" she had so many questions to ask him she didn't know where to start.

"I've been here for a week now. It's great to bump into you. I hope we can see each other again." He sounded impatient, as though he had important things to do.

Sakura nodded. She gave him her number and with a single nod he walked out of the building.

It appeared that Syaoran had been watching. She caught him standing a distance away. He walked up to her looking discontented and a little bit furious.

"You know that guy?" He said his eyes pointing to the exit Eriol had used.

"Of course I do, Hiiragizawa Eriol." She said calmly not taken aback by his strange behavior.

"Oh." He said smoothly.

That was not the end Syaoran's speculation. The minute they were in Sakura's car and she started the engine, he came storming back with more questions.

"So, how do you know this guy?" he asked trying to sound calm.

"Who Eriol?"

"Yes…Eriol."

Sakura looked at him then back at the road "We dated years ago, he was my first boyfriend."

Syaoran nodded and his face descended into a pensive glare.

"He lived a few blocks away from my house. He was nineteen and I was seventeen when we started dating. He was in college and I was still in high school. I was so excited, I had a boyfriend. He was cute and charming" Sakura sighed. She had forgotten who she was talking to.

"We were inseparable and for a second, I thought it was true love."

"But it wasn't." he came out of nowhere.

Sakura made a left turn "I was seventeen, what did I know about true love."

"Probably nothing." He replied gravely.

She quickly glanced at him. "What's the matter with you? You sound so angry."

Of course he was angry, hearing her talk about Eriol wasn't exactly music to his ears. "It's work and stress."

"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to be so nostalgic."

He shook his head and smiled at her "No, it's not your fault."

**At the hospital**

"Your baby is perfectly healthy." The doctor said looking at both Syaoran and Sakura.

They looked at each other with both smiling.

"Would you like to hear the baby's heartbeat?"

"Yes." Sakura said out of breath.

The second they heard the baby's heart beat, something happened. Sakura held his hand tightly and looked at him. The look in his eyes was like nothing she had ever seen. He looked surprised yet his eyes were full of happiness and adoration. She wondered what was going through his mind.

…………………..

After the appointment, they stopped in front of Sakura's apartment. They unfastened their seatbelts and sat in the car in silence for a moment.

"That was something, I still can't believe it." Sakura said leaning on the driving wheel.

Syaoran leaned his head back on the car seat "Me either."

Sakura looked at him "What time is your driver going to be here?"

He looked at his wristwatch "Three thirty…in thirty minutes."

Sakura sat up "Why don't you come up…for ice-cream."

He shrugged "Are you sure?"

She looked at him "I wouldn't have asked you if I wasn't"

He didn't understand why but the more she smiled at him, the more he blushed. He swallowed hard and took a deep breath.

"Alright, let's go." The smile he returned was rather artificial and clearly said "this-might-lead-into-something-that would-make-me-want-you-more-than-I-already-do."

She sat on the counter dangling her legs back and forth while he leaned on the fridge opposite her with a plastic cup in his hand.

"Don't you get lonely?" Syaoran shoved a spoon into the cup of ice-cream.

"Don't you?"

He shrugged "I have no reasons to be. I've always been alone, but you…you've got a lot of people behind you."

She beamed "What are you talking about. I'm sure your family is fantastic, I know I've never met them but they have to be interesting."

He looked at her as though he was suddenly amazed. He ambled close to her keeping his eyes fixed on hers.

"You have ice-cream on your lip." He said in more of a whisper.

Sakura's heart was beating uncontrollably. He was so close that she felt a little intimidated. She could feel his warm breath on her lips. It turned her on so much that she feared what she might do next "Any second from now, I'm going to collapse." She told herself.

She noticed his rugged chin; he clearly did not shave that morning. His eyes were passionate and enchanting. A mistake was only a tiny distance away.

She slowly closed her eyes and his eyes lingered on her lips. Her lips were smooth and rosy. The sweet smell of her vanilla lip gloss immediately set him on fire. He quickly reminded himself that their relationship could not extend any further than friendship. With his thumb, he gently rubbed away the smudge of ice-cream on her upper lip.

"There you go." He said slowly moving further away.

Sakura slowly opened her eyes to find him standing a safe distance away from her. She blushed immensely "I can't believe I thought he was going to kiss me." She thought looking away. She felt oddly embarrassed for having such a thought cross her mind to begin with.

He wasn't any better himself; he kept his vision away from her.

She looked at his from the corner of her eye. "Thank you.(-.-!" She told him immediately feeling stupid after that. It took her more than a minute to say that. She was certain that he sensed that something was wrong.

He cleared his throat in order to kill the silence. "This ice-cream is great." He was clueless and couldn't think of anything else to say.

She looked at him now and slightly nodded "Yep, it's so delicious."

"I like how cold it is." His eyes widened the minute he realized that what he had just said was stupid. 'Where did that come from?' He asked himself.

"And creamy…the name now makes sense." She said briskly before they both laughed heartily.

She looked down at the ice-cream in her hands then up at him again. "This is my last ice-cream. From now on, no more donuts, chocolate, smarties and cakes. I'm only going to eat fruits and veggies. I don't want to end up with a fat ass."

"I don't know Sakura, a fat ass might look good on you." He said with a boyish grin on his face.

She shrugged before bursting into short giggles.

He looked at her and smiled. She was an amazing woman; anyone else would only be second place in his heart.

He turned his head away for a second "I'm sorry for being stern earlier today. I didn't mean to put it out on you."

"It's alright." She said firmly.

"The reason I was so frustrated is because…" he paused "When my father was around my age, he came to Japan. He supposedly fell for a woman. She was an air hostess. He got her pregnant then left for Hong Kong."

Sakura looked at him meaningfully "You're half Japanese?"

He shook his head "No…when he got the woman pregnant, he was already married to my mother. When he returned home, after awhile, my mother was pregnant with me. I found out I had a stepbrother when I was sixteen. I was angry at my father. I told myself that I would never be like him. He cheated on my mother…my mother was always faithful." He cleared his throat.

Sakura was speechless.

"He was so calm about it all. We all thought they were going to separate. One summer he invited his son to live with us for a month. I thought he was being unfair to my mother. When I first saw my step brother, I was shocked. He bared such a close resemblance to my father. They had the same eyes and smile. I look like mother. We never got along."

"I don't understand; what does your half brother have to do with your behavior today?"

"Hiiragizawa Eriol is my half brother."

Sakura's jaw dropped "Oh my gosh. I…he's…no way."

Syaoran nodded.

"That's great! I can't believe it, that makes him our baby's uncle."

Syaoran frowned "Sure." He looked up at her coyly "I better get going. The driver will be here any second."

"Oh, goodbye then."

He put the cup of ice-cream on the counter. As he started to the door, Sakura moved from the counter and followed him.

"Syaoran."

He stopped walking and turned around "Yes."

She leered "We should do this again; it was fun."

He nodded "It was."

………………..

That evening, Sakura received a phone call from Eriol. He invited her to dinner at some restaurant she had never heard of. She was reluctant to go but since he was an old friend, she couldn't say no.

She had a busy schedule lined up for the rest of the week. It seemed like everyone was interested in spending time with her and in most cases she was tired. On Wednesday she promised Tomoyo that they would go shopping for decorations for her apartment. On Thursday she agreed to go see the ballet with Rumiko. They had stayed in contact since their first meeting.

She sighed while sitting on her bed. She picked up her phone from the bedside table and called Tomoyo.

She told Tomoyo everything that happened. When it came to the subject about Eriol, Tomoyo was less than enthusiastic to hear his name.

"Eriol? You mean Eriol your ex boyfriend? Eriol the jerk?"

Sakura chuckled "I can't believe you still think that of him."

"Remember how he used to tease me for having pale skin. Sakura, he used to call me Casper or Milky Way; Snow white when he was in a good mood."

Sakura chuckled.

………………….

Eriol and Sakura sat at a table in the VIP lounge. Sakura was surprised at how much Eriol had changed. He looked, acted and sounded more sophisticated than the Eriol she had grown up with. The old Eriol would simply take her to McDonalds and they would sit near the bins or the toilets whenever it was full. It wasn't that big of an inconvenience. The more she observed this new being, the more it made sense. Eriol was indeed a Li.

He ordered sushi and rice cakes and encouraged Sakura to order the same.

"You've changed." She told him.

"So have you." He said patiently.

"No, I'm still the same, you have everything now."

He chuckled "I wouldn't say everything."

"Do you know Li Syaoran?" she had been aching to ask him that question all evening.

He looked at her, "It's funny because I was going to ask you the same thing. I saw you two together today. He was in your car."

"We're friends."

He looked at her seriously "Just friends? You can be honest with me. Syaoran never has female friends unless they provide special benefits."

Sakura didn't know what to say at first. She could trust Eriol; he had always been sincere and good to her. He made Syaoran sound promiscuous, she was staggered.

She bit her lip "We dated for three months."

His eyes narrowed to her direction and he scowled "He's engaged; did you know that."

Sakura felt ashamed as she nodded. Looking in his dark eyes, she felt her reputation slipping away.

"I never thought of you as the affair type Sakura. You have changed."

Sakura wanted to go under the table and hide until it was all over. "I broke up with him a long time ago." She winced.

Eriol shook his head in disenchantment "I'm also surprised that you went for that type."

"What do you mean?"

"You know, spoilt rich kid who's had everything handed to him on a silver plate." Eriol was bitter and disdainful; it was not a good look on him.

"What about you; you never told me you were the son of a millionaire."

He chuckled "So he told you. Sakura you need to understand, I worked my ass off for everything that I have. I'm not like him, I didn't finish college then immediately got handed the highest position in my Dad's company."

Sakura swallowed hard "I don't know why you two hate each other but Syaoran is a great guy. He's not spoilt…..You probably don't know that much about him to make such cruel judgment."

Eriol took a deep breath and looked at Sakura. She looked hurt and disappointed. What Eriol was finding hard to understand was the reason why she was defending him.

"I'm sorry Sakura, that's just the way I feel about the guy. We never got along because we have nothing in common. Before we change the topic, I want to know what you were doing this afternoon with him. I thought you two broke up."

Sakura shed a tiny smile "You won't believe me if I told you."

"Try me." He said simply.

"I'm pregnant with Syaoran's child." Sakura looked at him waiting for a new expression.

He covered his mouth with his hand and looked at Sakura peculiarly. The news was hard to consume.

"Sakura, hi." A woman's voice came from behind Sakura. She noticed Eriol remerge with a downcast face. She turned around and found Rumiko standing behind her.

"Hello." She smiled. When her gaze shifted to the person next to Rumiko she stopped smiling. She looked at him puzzled.

"Syaoran, what are you doing here?" she asked catching his full attention.

He looked startled and withdrawn all at once. He scrutinized her with his eyes; he liked what he was seeing and wanted to keep it in his mind for years to come. He felt a peculiar faintness in the pit of his stomach.

"Uh…dinner." He said in half whisper.

"You two know each other?" Rumiko asked shifting glances from Syaoran to Sakura.

Syaoran and Sakura both nodded a little.

Syaoran tore his eyes away from Sakura and looked at Eriol heatedly; he could not believe what he was seeing. He's face was full of tight irritated lines.

Rumiko looked at Sakura and crept one of her hands around Syaoran's. She looked at him with visible stars in her eyes "Syaoran is my fiancée, remember I told you."

Sakura smiled though she was hurting inside. This was unfair; fate had a strange way of doing things. She expected Syaoran's fiancée, the woman she always considered her enemy to be unkind and selfish. Rumiko was nothing like that. Sakura wanted to burst into tears.

Syaoran looked at her for a short while as though he was saying that he was sorry and he'd rather be any where else but there.

She immediately held herself together "Rumiko, this is my friend Eriol."

"We've met." She said with joy in her eyes "Hello, it's nice to see you again."

Eriol smirked "Hi, would you two like to join us?"

Syaoran faked a short laugh "No, we're kind of…"

"Come on Syaoran, I don't mind."

Syaoran looked at Sakura again then said "Sure."

…………….

"So Sakura, how do you know Syaoran?"

Sakura started to sweat; she looked at Syaoran then Eriol, then Syaoran then Eriol.

"I was one of Sakura's Dad's clients a while back. So he introduced us." Syaoran replied for her.

Sakura nodded in agreement. They looked at each other secretly. He was sitting next to her; she took in the scent of his cologne and she could feel his energy close to her. It reminded her of the first time they met. She was caught up in the thought of her and Syaoran. She still felt like her heart belonged to him. "I should have never told him that I cared about him." She looked at his lips and thought "I should have never kissed him, I have to find a way to let these feelings go." She wanted to hit herself for feeling the way she did.

"And Eriol?" Rumiko asked.

Sakura looked at Eriol who simply shrugged. He experienced a certain level of pride because he felt like his relationship with Sakura was worth telling than her alleged affair with his half-brother.

"Eriol and I were high school sweethearts. Well, he was in college and I was in high school."

Rumiko smiled "It's a small world. I met Eriol through Syaoran. "

Everyone else at the table broke into fake nervous chuckles.

Rumiko looked at Syaoran "Sakura is my only friend here. We met the first day I arrived." Rumiko looked at Sakura "For some unknown reason, Syaoran loves Japan. He even thinks we should marry here."

Sakura smirked "Really?"

Syaoran looked at her "Yes."

"So when is the wedding?" Eriol asked in order to provoke the tense Syaoran.

"Next year 10th April." Rumiko replied "Syaoran will be very busy this year with…" she paused "What was it again?"

"Business transactions." Syaoran said coyly.

Sakura had her hand on her lap. She felt Syaoran's hand brush against hers. She gasped inwardly and he rested his hand above hers. He held her hand and she looked at him.

Rumiko went on about their wedding but Sakura and Syaoran barely heard a word she said. Sakura held his hand gently. She knew it in her mind that it was wrong, but her heart needed refuge.

She noticed Eriol's gaze rotate to her direction. It was like he knew what was happening under the table. Sakura looked at Syaoran for the last time. She slowly released his hand; the look on Eriol's face made her feel culpable. Syaoran on the other hand, thought that it was because his hands were clammy.

"Do you guys mind, I'm feeling a little dizzy. I need to get fresh air." She excused herself.

Rumiko and Eriol smiled at her while Syaoran looked intently at her with faint signs of sympathy and remorse.

A few seconds later Syaoran excused himself claiming that he had to call someone important.

He followed Sakura outside. She was standing in the restaurant's garden next to the fountain. The moon was down and everywhere was dark and still. He gave her an appraising look from head to toe. She looked as lovely as ever, he lost all power over his emotions. He tucked his hands in his pocket and walked behind her.

"I'm sorry about that. I know it was hard to stand." He too felt like he could just break. When he saw Sakura with Eriol, something inside of him shattered like glass.

Sakura turned around in slow motion. She looked up at the silver moon, the only force that knew all the secrets that had been kept. She stared at him; he looked charming as he stared back at her.

"I'm not feeling so well?"

He turned his head over his shoulder to make sure that no one was behind him before moving closer to Sakura.

"I hate this…I wish things were different…"

"Don't say what you're about to say. It doesn't bother me as much as you probably think it does. I got over it." She slightly smiled.

"Rumiko is...she's…"

"Beautiful, special, kind…you got lucky. Tell me, how did we ever let the situation get this far." She interrupted him again.

He took two steps closer which she counted in her mind.

"I don't love her; I'm getting myself into a loveless and unfulfilling marriage."

"You don't need to tell me all this, I told you, I'm not bothered. I know you are trying to make me feel better but I don't need you to. I am not divested."

"So what are we going to do about it?"

"We can't tell her now." She paused to look into his face.

Syaoran agreed placidly. He began to realize how much closer they were becoming. He felt horrible that he had to hide the way he felt inside in order to protect what they had.

Syaoran ambled in front of Sakura "You really don't look too well."

"It's probably the pregnancy."

He wrapped his hands around Sakura. He hugged her with his eyes closed. Sakura was taken aback at first but she hugged him back. It was a wonderful feeling to feel her so close to him. He slowly opened his eyes. When he looked across Sakura's shoulder, Eriol was standing at the exit watching them. Syaoran shot him an icy glare that was noticeable from where Eriol was standing.

"What was that for?" Sakura asked as he released her.

"You looked like you needed it." He said now looking at Sakura. The truth was, he was the one who needed it. He needed to feel her close to him and feel her in his soul.

"I better ask Eriol to drop me home."

Syaoran smirked and nodded.

………………….

Wednesday afternoon, on his way out of the office building, Syaoran found Eriol sitting on the steps in front of the office building. It was sometime in the evening and most of the employees had gone home.

Eriol had a cigarette between his lips and he stared aimlessly up ahead. He dragged on the cigarette several times then stubbed it out.

"Let's just hope that kills you sooner than later." Syaoran said standing next to him.

Eriol looked Syaoran "I need to talk to you."

Syaoran sighed like a malicious child. "What is it?"

"It's about Sakura,"

Syaoran was hoping he wouldn't say her name. He did not want to converse with Sakura, especially with a scam like Eriol he thought. He was a bomb ready to explode. If anyone was going to ruin his relationship with Sakura, it was defiantly him.

"What about her?"

Eriol threw the dead cigarette on the pavement and stepped on it. "Is it true what she said, you got her pregnant?"

Syaoran looked down at Eriol who had a distasteful smirk on his face. He chose to not answer the question.

"You are in deep shit little brother."

Syaoran had a terrified look on his face "You are not my brother." He said firmly.

"Why didn't you protect Sakura? It's one thing that you choose her over many other women to have an affair with but what I don't understand is why you had to impregnate her too. She's just a helpless victim in the dirty game you play. You're beautiful distraction."

His words hit Syaoran like a tidal wave. The tension between them was thick.

Syaoran took a few steps then turned around.

He was feeling a mixture of emotions and was ready to blow up.

"You know what Eriol." He paused then frowned "Fuck you. "You don't even know me!" Syaoran said angrily. "You don't know what really happened between Sakura and I, you don't know what my situation is with Rumiko yet you choose to judge me."

Eriol smirked "touché." He mocked.

"Everything is fine between Sakura and I. The last thing we needed in our lives is you."

Eriol's piercing eyes turned a darker shade of blue "Sakura was the best thing that happened to me. I'm only here to take back what is rightfully mine."

Syaoran glared at Eriol.

"I don't want her to end up like my mother." He looked at Syaoran spitefully "You know what; come to think of it you are just like Dad except you won't admit you made a mistake."

"I'm nothing like him." Syaoran was weak in his conviction.

"I guess what they say is true, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree."

----------------------

**A/N: Sorry for making Eriol so cruel. Don't worry, I'll make it up to you guys so don't hate me just yet, he'll come around I promise. Please review this chapter! Thanks you for all the great reviews. **


	7. Until Sunrise

Disclaimer: I do not own ccs, clamp does

**SOMETIME IN APRIL**

**Chapter 7**

Until Sunrise 

**Two weeks later**

Syaoran steadily opened the door and entered Stars bookstore. As usual, the tiny bell on top of the door rang and the smell of fresh flowers filled the atmosphere. He looked up to see who was at the counter then immediately turned away.

"Damn it." He muttered still in his secluded world.

"Hi Syaoran." Tomoyo greeted looking up at him.

He walked up to her and cleared his throat "Hello."

"What are you doing here?" She asked waving a pen playfully.

"I'm here to…buy a book."

Tomoyo nearly laughed, Syaoran could be so predictable.

"Alright." Tomoyo managed to keep a straight face.

He walked around the bookstore for a few seconds and quickly grabbed anything he could find. He walked up to the counter and took out his credit card.

"That was fast." A beaming smile spread across Tomoyo's face.

He simply nodded.

"Sakura's not here."

His eyebrows shot up and he blushed massively. The break of sweat on his forehead was visible.

"I'm not looking for Sakura…no." He laughed nervously in between each two words.

Tomoyo rolled her eyes "Yeah right; would you like to know where she is?"

Syaoran shook his head "No, I told you, I'm not looking for her."

"Whatever you say Romeo. Have you finally run out of excuses to spend time with her?"

"I don't know what you are talking about." Syaoran blushed even more.

Tomoyo looked at the books he was waiting for her to scan. She broke into sheer laugher and all he could do was stare at her puzzled.

"What's wrong?"

She showed him the cover of the book and read the title "Ways to ease the discomforts of premenstrual syndrome."

Syaoran wanted to burry himself; he might as well tell her that he was looking for Sakura.

"Syaoran, I didn't **like** know it was **like** that time of the month for **like **you too." She teased posing a funny girly accent.

Syaoran pretended to laugh along before he immediately toughened up again "Fine, you caught me, I was looking for her."

"Saturday afternoon's must be long and boring without her."

"Yeah, Sunday's are worse." He said pensively before shaking his head "What I mean is different."

"How cute." She said with stars in her eyes.

"O…kay, you won't tell her will you?"

"Tell her what? That you miss her and you want to spend time with her. That you came looking for her and you possibly still have romantic feelings for her."

Syaoran faked a desperate smile "That sums it up."

"I won't"

Syaoran finally released a genuine smile "Am I that obvious?"

"Yes." Tomoyo smirked "Get her flowers, cherry blossom. Tell her that you were thinking of her. You guys haven't seen each other in two weeks."

Syaoran shrugged "I can't…she'll figure it out."

Tomoyo sighed.

"I better get back to my boring life." He started his way out before he stopped and looked at Tomoyo "So where is she?"

"She went on a picnic, with your brother."

Syaoran slowly nodded.

…………………….

Sometime during the night when Syaoran was ready to go to bed, he heard the sound of his doorbell. He dragged himself from the bedroom to the front door. He looked though the tiny hole and immediately lost all sensibility when he saw Sakura's face. He quickly checked if his breath was fine and if he smelled alright. He slowly opened the door. This was going to be it, the moment that would determine the turnout of events for the rest of the night. He was on top of his game, confident and ready to be Mr. Romantic. Every time before he encountered her, he had prepared a diligent performance to win her heart but it always fell flat on the floor. This time, he was certain the outcome would be different.

The door was now wide open. He winked at her "I've been thinking about you."

Sakura blushed then giggled like a nosy school girl "Do you always answer the door in your underwear these days or is it just my unlucky day?"

Syaoran looked down at what he was wearing; he was in his green boxer shorts and a white t-shirt.

He blushed 'how does this keep happening to me?' he asked himself. 'Alright, think of something. Come on Syaoran, you always have something clever to say.'

He smirked at her then said "Come on Sakura, we're both adults. It's nothing **you** haven't seen." He said in a macho voice that came out of nowhere.

Sakura's jaw dropped then she giggled again "Very funny, you're acting more weird than usual but I guess I should expect that from you."

Syaoran still felt very embarrassed. He let her in then closed the door. "So, what are you doing here at this time?"

She took off her olive coat and put it on the coat hanger. "Tomoyo told me you were looking for me."

"She did?" his heart was beating fast.

"Yes, I don't understand why you just couldn't call me." She quickly tucked her hair behind her ear then smiled "Anyway, I've got a lot of stuff for us to do."

She breezed into the vast living room area with a brown leather bag over her shoulder. He followed her into his secluded domain. The design of his apartment was classy and futuristic. The walls were cream; it had French windows and beautiful artifacts. His home was one way of telling that Syaoran was a man with great taste.

"What do you mean stuff?"

"Tomoyo told me how bored you were. It must be hard with Rumiko out of town. Speaking of Rumiko, have you heard from her? I've been trying to reach her since she left two weeks ago but I can't get hold of her. Do you know when she will be back?"

Sakura spoke so fast he barely heard a word she said. He simply shrugged then told Sakura "I don't know." He was relieved. Rumiko had left for Hong Kong the same day Sakura planned to tell her about their affair and her pregnancy.

She sat on the couch and he sat next to her. She placed her bag on the space between them and unzipped it.

She took out a few candy wrappers and a makeup kit "This is embarrassing, I have this horrible habit of forgetting stuff in my bag or forgetting my bag."

She took out two DVDs and smiled "We can watch these."

Syaoran took the DVDs from her hands and squinted. He sighed then placed them on the coffee table.

"Don't you like them?" Sakura asked noticing the look on his face.

"The notebook and Titanic? Not exactly."

"Come on, I know plenty of guys who are into these movies."

Syaoran faked a chuckled "Like who?" he asked lightly.

Sakura laughed "Uh…" she paused then looked at him "I just can't think of anyone right now."

Syaoran shook his head.

"Please." She pleaded. How could he resist that smile and those big bright eyes? He casually smiled "Fine, but next time I get to choose."

She smiled and took out a notepad "I wrote down a couple of names for our unborn son."

One of Syaoran's eyebrows rose "Son?"

"I have a strong feeling it's a boy."

"And I have a strong feeling it's a girl."

They looked at each other for a few seconds.

"Okay, let's make a deal. If it's a boy, I get to choose the name. If it's a girl, you can choose the name."

"Fine with me." He said with a smirk on his face.

They shook hands in agreement.

………………………………..

During the movie (after Syaoran had changed into something decent), Sakura held a cushion to her chest and watched the movie teary eyes. Syaoran on the other hand glared at the T.V screen. If he wasn't thinking about the woman next to him, he was trying to figure out what she found so captivating about a predictable plot and cheesy lines.

She noticed how bored he looked; though his body was there she could tell that his mind was somewhere else. She playfully poked him on the shoulder. He shuddered in surprise looking straight at her.

"Are you even watching?" she asked him.

He rubbed his head "Yeah, uh…they've hooked up again right?"

Sakura smiled, it could have been a lucky guess but it was good enough. It was the part of the movie where the two main characters share a kiss in the rain. Sakura looked at Syaoran just to see the look on his face. She blushed then turned away. The scene was so intense and romantic; it made her want to jump into his arms.

'Lucky bastard.' Syaoran thought this time really paying attention. He wished Sakura would forgive him for everything and they would forget about that Rumiko person.

When the movie was over, Sakura still had tears in her eyes. Syaoran looked at her and asked "Why are you crying?"

The tears flowed from her eyes "It's just so sad…and romantic."

Syaoran handed her a box of tissue and smiled gently at her "Haven't you already seen this?"

She sniffled "Only seven times; the ending always makes me cry…I'm sorry."

In a way, her crying made him feel uneasy. "It's alright, but Sakura it's only a movie."

"I know." She stopped crying "I just wonder how it would be like to have someone as romantic as Noah fighting to be with me."

"Come on, I was romantic when we were together…remember?"

Sakura pretended to think "Uh, no."

Syaoran sat up as though suddenly awoken "I got you flowers, chocolate and I always told you that you were beautiful. It doesn't get more romantic than that."

"That's just it Syaoran, I don't mean that kind of romantic. I mean kisses in the rain and it would have been nice if you built me my dream house."

Syaoran sighed "Built you a house?"

Sakura laughed "I'm only joking."

"So was I romantic?"

Sakura laughed again, she didn't understand why this meant so much to him. She decided to once again tease him "I can't remember." She told him.

He shook his head like he was telling her 'I can't believe you'

The rest of the night went by very quickly. They laughed, talked and even had a popcorn fight in between. Sakura at one point found herself standing in his bedroom. She looked around; it had vast space and bachelor paradise written all over it. She yawned then turned around to see what he was up to.

"I'm so tired." She told him with her eyes half closed.

"I'll only be a few more minutes." He said looking under his bed. He told her that he had something important to show her. It had already been ten minutes and he was still looking for it.

She sat on his bed before she rested her head gently on his pillow. "Do you…" she purred "mind if I take a short nap?"

He nodded still caught up with finding that special thing. When he finally found it in his closet, he walked up to her excited.

"I found it, remember this…" he looked up and noticed that she was fast asleep. In his hand was a tangerine teddy bear he won for her at a fair back when they were together. She lost it a couple of days later and he found in his garden that very morning.

He took out a blanket and softly covered her with it. He wasted no time to stare at her. He sighed inwardly; she was peaceful and listless. She took his breath away. He was unable to fight the urge of planting a gentle kiss on her forehead. He placed the teddy bear next to her and turned off the lamp light.

He crept up next to her and lay on the other side of the bed. He slowly closed his eyes then opened them again just to make sure that he wasn't dreaming. After that he finally went to sleep.

……………………………..

Syaoran felt someone shaking him aggressively. "Stop it!" he said still asleep.

"Syaoran!" Sakura shook him again.

He quickly opened his eyes after recognizing her voice. The room was still dark and Sakura was crouching right beside him. "Sakura? What's wrong?"

"I'm going home." She told him in a half whisper.

He sat up and turned on the lamp light "Why? It's must be around 2 am."

Sakura slightly croaked her head and tightened the grip she had on her shoes "I know…it's just that…" 'What's my excuse again?' she asked herself before smiling at him "I promised myself that I would never spend another night with you."

He nearly laughed "Put your shoes back on the floor honey and come to bed." Syaoran said with a dramatic flourish. He rubbed his eyes then smiled at her when he saw the look on her face. "It's too late for you to go home."

She stood up "Fine, I understand what you are trying to say." She returned to her position on the other side of the bed. "I'm sorry; my make up stained your pillow case."

He turned aside to face her "It's only make-up."

Sakura saw the tangerine bear next to her. It nearly brought tears to her eyes. She held it to her chest "Where did you find it?"

"In the yard. I don't know how it ended up there."

She closed her eyes and held it even tighter. She was like a little girl with her favorite toy. "I'm definitely going to pass this down to our baby."

Syaoran beamed at the sight of her more tender side.

"You're a great friend Syaoran and I just know that you're going to be an even better dad."

Syaoran was not as sure of himself. He turned off the light lamp and laid unconvinced in darkness; he had so many doubts about that role. He had never been so apprehensive to experience something new. He felt that since he failed with Sakura, he was bound to fail with their child.

Sakura lay down facing him, there was a long dreadful silence "You're quiet." She whispered to him. He said nothing but positioned his face toward her.

"What are you thinking about?"

"I don't think I'm going to be a good father." He said in a tone heavy with grief.

"What would make you say that?" she kept her tone gentle.

"My grandfather was a horrible father…my father was worse. I don't know what it means to be a good father."

"You'll know when the baby is here. You need to stop relating your personality to that of your father. You're not like him."

"Eriol says I am…this thing with you and all these lies. The less I try to be like him, the more I feel like I am becoming him."

"That's his opinion. For starters unlike your father, you told you're family about us before it was too late and you are willing to tell Rumiko. You didn't leave me when I told you I was pregnant. You're still here with me along every step of it and I appreciate that." She paused "More than you know."

Syaoran felt guilt explode in his body. He said nothing and closed his eyes for short while. When another interval of silence passed, he held her hand.

"Don't fall asleep; I want to talk to you till sunrise."

She felt her heart tremble as he slowly released her hand.

………………………………

Early that morning as Sakura slowly opened her tired eyes. She felt a strong arm around her waist. She jerked her shoulder then slowly turned her head. He had his head buried between her neck and her shoulder and she could feel the elbow of his other arm on her spine. She could feel his heartbeat and his breath on her skin.

"Syao." She said loudly.

He slowly opened his eyes then jumped up as though she was a burning flame. His cheeks were already red as he tried not to stare at her. She looked at him and blinked hard. He looked at her and blinked hard too.

He managed a faint smirk "I'll make breakfast."

Sakura nodded; she looked pale and frail.

"Are you…what's wrong?" he asked nervously.

She shrugged and stood up "I need to go to the bathroom…morning sickness."

He nodded. "Uh, sure."

…………………………….

The rest of the morning went by more smoothly. Once Sakura was better they were able to eat breakfast and he insisted on tidying up alone. Sakura did not mean it to happen, but she found herself back at her apartment 2:00 in the afternoon. She did not mean for many things to happen when it came to Syaoran, they just did and when she tried to give herself an explanation, she would come up with nothing.

She dropped her bag on the counter and sighed loudly. She ambled to the living room and gently tossed herself on the couch. She barely got any sleep. This was due to the movie marathon and the two hour pillow talk. She slowly closed her eyes and thought of all the exciting things they talked about. He was sweet sedation; she knew that she was going to get hurt eventually—again.

As she gently glided into slumber, there was a hard knock on her door. Sakura clenched her teeth and sighed loudly before opening her tired eyes.

She opened the door and found Eriol grinning at her. She felt too tired to even smile.

"Good afternoon."

She accidentally yawned then clamped her hand over her mouth feeling a little embarrassed. "Afternoon." She tried to look attentive.

"I see I came at the wrong time."

Sakura shook her head then scratched through her already messy hair. 'Sakura, that was so unladylike.' Her conscious yelled 'shut up!' she yelled back in her mind.

"No, come in."

Eriol walked in and Sakura offered him a drink. He sat next to her on the sofa and spoke wholeheartedly about their past. One particular memory made her laugh and caught her attention.

A nostalgic smile spread across Eriol's face. "We once had no money to see a movie and we were so keen on watching a movie that Friday night. Remember, we snuck into the cinema, we watched the movie for half an hour before we were thrown out. We went two more times until we were banned from that cinema." He paused smiling at his memory.

She rested her chin on her palm and watched him reminisce. The times they shared together were indeed one of the best times of her life.

"Whatever happened to us?" he asked bleakly "We were so good together, there couldn't be a better match."

Sakura shrugged her shoulders "You got mad and broke up with me when I couldn't tell you that I loved you."

Eriol did not need the reminder; he had thought of the breakup for years and had regretted ever leaving her side. He felt like he should have been patient with her, after all that is what love is all about.

"I was an idiot." He said looking her in the eyes. Sakura appeared unmoved.

He shifted closer to her and as soon as she felt his knee stoke hers, she coyly smiled at him. She cleared her throat "I'm so exhausted" she faked an exaggerated yawn.

"How come, didn't you get enough sleep?"

She slowly shook her head "Nope, Syaoran and I were up all night. He just couldn't get enough of it."

Eriol blushed as his mouth went dry. His mind wandered all over the place trying to figure out what she meant by 'it'. He found his body automatically drifting away from Sakura.

"All night doing what…what do you mean by 'it'?"

"Syaoran wanted to keep talking all night. I went to visit him last night and I ended up sleeping over. Every time I visit him at night, I always end up sleeping over. I don't know how it always happens."

"That's all you did? Talk?" Eriol tried to calm his boiling veins.

"We also watched a movie and ate…" she looked at him realizing how insecure he was. "Don't worry, nothing happened. Syaoran and I are friends; I would never let it get that far."

Eriol beamed then moved closer to her again. "You have a strange way of putting things."

"Syaoran has a fiancé already and even though it took me a long time, I respect that…"

Eriol closed his eyes and leaned his forehead against Sakura thus she stopped talking.

"I don't want to talk about him…" Eriol whispered to her.

He rubbed his nose against hers' then closed the gap that was between their lips.

--------------

**A/N: Hi everyone, I'm psyched about finishing chapter 7. Thank you to everyone who is still reading or still reviewing. I really appreciate it. The reviews went down so that was a bit of a set back but I got back on my feet and I'm going to finish this story like I promised. I have so many ideas for the ending already—they won't stop coming. Plz review this one .……**


	8. The last Goodnight

**Sometime in April**

**Chapter 8**

**The last Goodnight **

As Eriol broke the unrequited gesture of affection, he gazed solemnly at the astounded Sakura. She stared at him for a short time. It then hit him that maybe that wasn't the right move. She did not even close her eyes.

He slowly nodded feeling hurt and rejected "I should have never done that." He whispered turning his head away from her.

She touched her lips with her fingertips; her lips had belonged to Syaoran for so long. To Sakura, Eriol's kiss was like witnessing a robbery. She felt the urge to comfort him "No…it's just that…" she paused when he looked at her.

"I'm not ready to be in that kind of relationship right now." She placed her hand on his shoulder.

"When will you be?"

She shrugged "I don't really know." She suddenly stood up "Have you realized that I'm pregnant. You don't want to date me with all the hormones and all the other stuff to come."

"That's just it, I don't care."

She looked at him with a smile spreading across her delicate face "That's really nice of you…I'm sorry, I'm not ready?"

"So, I guess Syaoran wins."

Sakura wrinkled her face "Wins what?"

"He wins you."

Sakura chuckled "Syaoran is not trying to win me."

He gave her a pensive glare "He's taking advantage of you're friendship as much as he possibly can."

Sakura thought about it for a second, the thought did not sink in. She moved closer to Eriol and held his hand in order to pull him up. She wrapped her hands around his neck and rested her head on his shoulder "This doesn't mean I'm not going to give us a try but under all the circumstances, friendship is the only thing I can give to you right now."

"I'll wait for you, I promise." He hugged her back.

Sakura took a deep breath as she rubbed her cheek against his shoulder.

……………………

**THREE MONTHS LATER (New Years Eve.)** A/N: If you lost count, Sakura is now five months pregers.

"Uh!" Sakura yelled looking in the mirror "It doesn't fit; this stupid zip just won't budge."

Tomoyo came storming into her bedroom "Maybe you should forget about that dress and go for the bigger stuff."

Sakura tore her eyes away from her reflection and sighed "Maternity wear?" she sulked turning around to look at her new wardrobe "No!!" she yelled hysterically. "Tomoyo, please help me pull the zip up?"

Tomoyo ran to her best friend's side. When she tried to pull the zip up the dress ended up ripping.

"I love this dress." Sakura moaned.

Tomoyo shook her head "Hey, look at the bright side your boobs are bigger."

Sakura did not smile "…but they'll fall…down and never come back to normal."

Tomoyo rolled her eyes "You're only frustrated because that dress didn't fit. I'll see if I have something loose and sexy in my closet."

"Make sure it doesn't look like a tent."

Tomoyo leered "I will."

Sakura slowly took off the dress "I don't want to go to this party anyway…I don't belong there."

"Eriol really wants you to come; you know how much you mean to him."

Sakura exhaled nosily "What am I going to do at a New Years Eve bash where people go to get drunk and leave with someone they would never hook up with?"

Tomoyo laughed then started dancing "Isn't that awesome! I can't wait…bring on the Champagne!" she said in a crazy voice.

Sakura sighed in grief "I just know I'm not going to have a good time."

Tomoyo snapped her fingers and started singing as though the party had already started. "I think someone is at you're door… I'll get it." She said bouncing out of the room.

After putting on other clothes, Sakura ambled to the living room where she found Syaoran standing in the living room. She smiled at him "Hi."

"Hi." He said in a gentle tone.

"Sakura doesn't want to go to the party." Tomoyo said moving from behind Syaoran "Please tell her that she still looks beautiful."

He leered "You look beautiful."

"It doesn't make a difference if I don't feel it."

Syaoran looked at Tomoyo. Tomoyo shrugged and shook her head.

"Whose party is it anyway?"

"Eriol's party, it's at one of your father's hotels." Sakura replied.

Syaoran tucked his hands in his pocket "Oh…"

Sakura looked at him sympathetically "He didn't invite you? Maybe he forgot?"

Syaoran shrugged his shoulders "You think?"

"Just come, I'm sure he won't mind."

Syaoran smirked "So, what's this I hear about our energetic little one." He said pushing aside the main topic.

"He just won't stop kicking…I swear he's going to come out dancing."

Tomoyo leered at the sight of Syaoran and Sakura acting like a married couple expecting their first child. She withdrew her hand bag from the coffee table unnoticed and started towards the door before stopping.

"Sakura, I'll be back in an hour with something for you."

Sakura nodded then waved while Syaoran just nodded.

………………………..

Sakura and Tomoyo arrived at Eriol's bash at exactly ten o'clock. It was more than what they had anticipated. The hall was crowded with hundreds of people scattered on the dance floor. Some groups sat on easy chairs around tables piled with snacks. The music could be heard from four blocks away and just as they thought there was enough alcohol to go around.

"I didn't know Eriol knew so many people." Sakura commented when they first walked in.

Tomoyo was already banging her head at the sound of the music. Sakura felt like she didn't belong, there was no way she was going to stay there until midnight.

When Eriol came their way, he held Sakura's hand and helped her through the crowd. He had a plastic cup in his hand and wore a green shirt and kaki trousers.

"I'm glad you came." He told her.

Tomoyo was standing next to Sakura; she shook her head and kept herself from looking at Eriol.

"You too Casper." He teased trying to speak above the music.

Tomoyo gave him a sardonic smile.

"I can't stay too long." Sakura whispered in his ear.

Eriol nodded "I want you to meet certain people."

He was still holding her hand when he led her to a corner where a group of people were standing. Sakura was surprised to see the people she was now facing. They looked different but they were easy to recognize; they were four of her high school friends. They greeted and hugged Sakura and Tomoyo. Straight after that, Chiharu looked at Sakura and smiled.

"When did you get married?" Chiharu asked.

Sakura's shoulders automatically ascended.

"You didn't even invite us to the wedding." Takashi added.

Tomoyo looked at Sakura who suddenly froze. She took a deep breath and muttered nervously "I'm not married."

All friends looked at each other then back at her. Sakura assumed that they were thinking things like "A child out of wedlock? I don't believe it." Or "I knew she wasn't as innocent as she appeared"

Sakura gulped as she waited for them to say something.

"Well, congratulations." Takashi was the first to say. Rika, Naoko and Chiharu came after him.

"So when is the baby going to pop out?" Rika asked.

"April…" Sakura said coyly.

Takashi sighed "Rika, babies just don't just pop out, contractions of the uterus aided by voluntary contractions of the abdominal muscle, propel the baby out of the mothers body. Isn't that right?"

Sakura finally managed to smile "Yes."

Takashi took a sip of his drink "So…Sakura…who fertilized the ovum?"

Chiharu nudged Takashi's stomach with her elbow "How rude, you just don't go around asking people that sort of question. What he meant to say Sakura is, who got you knocked up?"

Sakura looked down for a second. She knew that Chiharu and Takashi were not trying to be rude. They were trying to make her laugh. They probably noticed how uncomfortable and sad she was. "I can't tell you that—without his consent."

Everyone nodded as though they understood.

"Boy or girl?" Rika asked excitingly.

"We're going to wait to find out."

…………………………………

"You were not invited." Eriol bickered "Who let you in anyway."

Syaoran grinned "I let myself in."

"You? crashing my party…that's just low. Leave now before I get security."

Syaoran saw Sakura coming in their direction and immediately, he turned to Eriol "Let's just see what Sakura will have to say about that."

Eriol exhale noisily when he saw her and Syaoran knew he had won.

"Syaoran." She said when they were in contact. She directed her eyes to Eriol "Is there anything wrong?"

Eriol took a quick look at Syaoran then smiled like he meant it. "No, everything is fine."

Sakura started the conversation; she talked about the party and her high school friends. Suddenly Eriol started to talk about his new Mercedes. That was when Syaoran's attention span completely shut off.

"He is pathetic for thinking that Sakura would be interested to hear about his dumb car." Syaoran thought. He felt like he couldn't afford to be fast asleep before midnight so he decided to change the course of the conversation.

"Eriol, did Sakura tell you…the baby won't stop kicking, especially in the morning."

Syaoran noticed Eriol looking fiercely at him as though he was ready to punch him in the face. He was certain that when it came to his and Sakura's unborn child Eriol did not have much to contribute.

Eriol took a sip of his beer looked at Sakura "Do you want something to drink?"

"Uh…sure."

"And I'd like a bottle of beer." Syaoran added in a rude manner.

The look on Eriol's face was priceless. Syaoran laughed inwardly before giving Sakura his full attention.

When Eriol disappeared into the crowd, he smiled at Sakura "He doesn't want me to be here." he said leaning over to her for a near whisper.

"Why?"

"You know how he feels about me."

He held her hand "Do you want to get out of here?"

She shook her head "But what about Eriol?"

"He'll be alright."

Syaoran held her hand tightly and led her out of the hall. They found themselves in the lobby staring at each other. he took out a set of keys.

"Let's go on the roof, there is a beautiful garden and fantastic scenery." He smirked

Sakura nodded "How come you have the keys."

"Have you forgotten, my family owns this place."

………………………….

They stood close to the edge roof and stared down at the cars. The moon was golden and there was not a single star in sight.

He looked at her adoring the look on her face. "Beautiful, isn't it?"

She looked at him and nodded. "What made you decide to come?"

He took a deep breath "You did."

Sakura had a quizzical look on her face "Me?"

"I came all the way here tonight just to see you." He said in a half whisper.

Sakura was nervous; she didn't know what to tell him.

"In approximately fifteen minutes, this year will be over. You might want to think of your last words before tomorrow comes."

"Goodnight." She said lightly.

He slightly smiled at her "There is just one thing I would like to know before the year ends."

Sakura was more nervous. "What's that?"

"Why did you leave me that particular morning—after the most amazing thing I've ever experienced?"

Sakura was startled; she stood there as though rooted to the floor. She croaked her head "I told you already."

"No, you told me why you left but not why you choose to leave then."

"It was overwhelming and it scared me to be so close to you." Her eyebrows jerked as though she was about to cry "It was then I realized that I was going to love you forever and it was painful to know that you were not mine. It all just seemed pointless. Eventually our affair would have to end and after that I would be left with nothing but a broken heart. I had to end it."

**We watch the season pull up its own stakes  
And catch the last weekend of the last week  
Before the gold and the glimmer have been replaced,  
Another sun soaked season fades away**

You have stolen my heart

His eyebrows rose "Forever?"

**Invitation only, grand farewells  
Crash the best one, of the best ones  
Clear liquor and cloudy eyed, too early to say goodnight**

**You have stolen my heart**

She nodded almost as though she didn't want to. Her eyes glistened and her lips were sealed.

"I've been waiting for a good day; I think I've held it long enough. I've been aching to tell you something for so long." He paused then placed his hand on her cheek.

Sakura blushed as her soul lifted in mid-air.

He exhaled loudly and smiled at the same time "I don't think you understand how I feel about you. I know you and I keep saying that night was a mistake but I think you know very well like I do that it was not. This baby brought me back to you and that's all I wanted."

**And from the ballroom floor we are in celebration  
One good stretch before our hibernation  
Our dreams assured and we all, will sleep well  
**

He tilted her head up gently with his fingers so that she can look at him "I don't care who **they** think is right for me, it will never change the fact that I love you."

**You have stolen  
You have stolen my heart**

He stared longingly into her innocent but piercing eyes, he felt himself giving into them. He moved his face closer to hers and placed his thumb on her lips. "When can I kiss you?"

Sakura closed her eyes "Now."

Slowly he slid his thumb from her lips causing them to slightly part. Their faces grew closer and their lips touched. A single brush of her lips against his sent wild tingling sensations all over his body. She was no better than he was, she avidly kissed him back. Fireworks were exploding in the background but they did not hear them for they were caught in pure bliss.

They parted for a moment "Happy New year." He whispered with his lips next to hers.

Slowly their lips met once again, Sakura parted her lips. Syaoran took the invitation—this couldn't be real.

"Sakura!" Eriol's voice came from a near distance.

Sakura and Syaoran broke the kiss and in an instant, the passion had evaporated.

Eriol was looking at them with Tomoyo behind him. His eyes were raging with furry.

"Oh come on!" he yelled looking half-drunk "You have got to be kidding me."

Sakura blushed and looked away.

"I thought you were not ready for a serious relationship." He yelled even louder.

Syaoran and Sakura looked at each other.

"Eriol! Get lost!" Syaoran blazed with insolence, menacing with fire in his heart.

Eriol ambled closer to the couple "Sometimes Sakura, I really don't understand you." Eriol pointed at Syaoran "He's lying to you! He's been lying to you all along."

Sakura looked at Syaoran "What's he talking about?"

Syaoran shrugged his shoulders as an abundance of fear radiated in his soft eyes.

"He knows exactly what I'm talking about! They don't know you exist…he's mother, father and the whole Li family don't know you exist."

She looked at him in disbelief before looking at Eriol again.

"He's ashamed of you…he's ashamed of himself and he's ashamed of your child. Why do you think Rumiko doesn't know? Did you think he's parents decided not to tell her."

Sakura took a step back, her hands were trembling.

"Will you shut Eriol, you've said enough!" Tomoyo suddenly joined the argument.

Eriol looked at Tomoyo "You shut up; I can't believe you are on his side. What a friend you are." He looked at Sakura and held his hand out "Come on Sakura, I know it's not your fault. I'll take you home."

Sakura shrugged and looked at him intently "Leave me alone Eriol, you're no better than him. You knew all along that I was being misled but you did nothing about it."

Eriol felt like a pin had just been pierced through his heart. He nodded disappointedly and said "All three of you have no morals." before walking away.

"You lied to me." Sakura muttered.

"Let me explain…"

"You lied about many things." She cut in.

He nodded moving closer to her; before he could blink Sakura slapped his cheek. The whole experience was a hard blow and a wake up call. He knew there was no way of making her understand.

He took a deep breath and directed his face back at her. The pain that was exploding in his cheek meant nothing "I tried so hard…"

"Don't say that! Just leave me alone."

Syaoran held his cheek and flinched. She walked past him and held Tomoyo's hand "Let's get out of here." She murmured with tears rolling down her face.

They sat in Tomoyo's car at the parking lot. Sakura leaned her head on the sideboard. She covered her face as loud sobs escaped her lips.

"I'm such an idiot." She cried "I never open my eyes wide enough to see the worst in him. I just wanted to believe her was good."

Tomoyo placed a hand on Sakura's shoulder. The temperature of her body was high and she was trembling. She kept on crying until Tomoyo had to grab her shoulders and force her up.

"Look at me Sakura and stop crying. Syaoran is the idiot not you, I know what you two have is special and he risked it all when he lied to you. You can't keep letting him hold you down."

Sakura turned her head away and Tomoyo sighed. Suddenly, Chiharu appeared out side the window.

"Tomoyo! Sakura! Eriol is in a fight with some guy!!" Chiharu said excited.

Sakura looked at Tomoyo dumbstruck, she quickly mopped away the tears and mutter "It's Syaoran."

…………………………

**  
****A/N: Hope you enjoyed this chapter. I just hope I'm not moving too fast or being too dramatic, by the way the song is stolen by Dashboard confessional.**

**Anyway plz plz plz give me a review.**


	9. Ending in tragedy

**Sometime in April**

**AN: Hi everyone, here's the new chapter. It's written differently from the others only because it consists of the Sakura and Syaoran part of the story and an Eriol and Tomoyo part of the story plus the time (You know, almost like in 24). ENJOY!**

**Chapter 9**

**Ending in tragedy **

_**Syaoran and Sakura**_

**00:45**

"I can't believe you!" Sakura wailed trying hard to avoid looking at the man that was now driving her home.

There was so much left to say, she wanted him to hurt the way she was. She wanted him to cry the way she did. The bruises on his face and the black eye Eriol gave him was not enough. He silently looked up the road too ashamed to even look at her nonetheless speak to her.

She placed her hand on her bulging stomach…the baby was kicking as though it was as angry as she was.

"Oh gosh…" she took a deep breath. "What were you thinking?" She asked approaching him with ease.

His eyes were still fixed on the road. They glowed like a bright torch in the middle of an eclipse. "I don't know." He muttered barely audible.

She exhaled noisily ready to throw another tantrum. She hated it when he didn't know. If she wasn't so tired, frustrated and pregnant she would have forced him to stop the car so she could walk home on her own.

She looked into his bruised face; his hair was more disheveled than normal and he did not smile. It only took forty-five minutes for a dream to become a total nightmare. She felt like she didn't know this man anymore…maybe she never knew him to begin with.

"You're full of shit, you know that Syaoran." She said uttering some more hateful words straight after that.

When he parked the car in the driveway in front of her apartment, she opened the door and remained in her seat.

"I think we should discuss this, we can't go on living this way."

He nodded agreeably. "Sakura…" he was ready to drop another 'sorry' but decided to hold it back.

"The minute my eyes met yours, my dignity was stripped right out my body."

He closed his eyes and absorbed every harsh word that cut him like daggers "I think you've said enough, how much more do you want me to hurt?"

She hid her face in her palms and said nothing.

**1:05**

"Come in." she told him.

He ambled into her apartment keeping his vision on the floor. Here he was, bringing sorrow to the one person he truly loved. This was worse than the time he confronted her about the pregnancy, far worse. He was convinced that he would not be able to find the right words to win her heart due to the cluster in his head.

She walked to the kitchen, opened the fridge and took out a bag of frozen peas then walked back into the living room.

"Here." She said tossing the bag angrily at him. It was like she was hoping she would miss and accidentally hit him with it. Luckily, he was able to catch it.

He placed it over his black eye and watched her disappear out of the room again. When she came back, she had a first aid kit in her hands. She sat close to him then roughly grabbed his chin in order to rotate his head her direction.

"Ow! What are you trying to do, rearrange my whole face?"

She grinned in a sarcastic manner. She rubbed the antiseptic on the cut putting so much pressure in each touch. Syaoran flinched but choose not to retaliate. She was more aggressive on the cut that was on his lip, only because his lips reminded her of the kiss she regretted sharing with him. He knew she was doing it all on purpose.

'That will teach you not to pick fights.' She thought.

By the time she was done, his face was more painful now than it was before she touched it. They allowed a cold blanket of silence to descend over them before round 3.

**1:30**

Sakura bit her lower lip and looked at him "Are you really ashamed of me?"

His head slowly shot up, from the tone of her voice, he could tell that she felt that he was ashamed of her. He slowly shook his head "I can never be ashamed of you."

"Then why? Why the lies?"

"It was the only way I could have you. I **had** to have you Sakura…I wanted all of you to myself. I knew that an affair was the only way my desire would be fulfilled."

"So this is just about you and what makes you happy."

"No, I wanted to make you happy but I always knew that no matter what I gave to you or said…or even felt. It would end in tragedy."

A dark cloud formed in the woman's' lush emerald eyes. "That doesn't make any sense….Mr. Li"

It was as though she studied a book on how to hurt him, she called him Mr. Li as a way of telling him that she doesn't know him anymore. That he was stranger to her now and nothing more.

"I meant every word I said, I never was lying when it came to the way I felt about you. I've tried living without you; you know I have but it only made me miserable."

She forged a smile on her face "You pretend to love me with such depth and passion. You should have left me alone because all I know now is pretence. The one thing you were never able to do was fight for me….you just couldn't. Other things matter more than I ever will like the happiness of your i**mportant** family."

For the first since they started talking, he looked into her eyes "30 years ago, when I was young. My father committed a crime. He stole money and ideas just by manipulating other businessmen. One of his victims was Mr. Kanzaki, Rumiko's father. He was ready to sew and put my father behind bars no matter what it took. In order to escape years in prison my father offered Rumiko fifty percent of the Li income, a few of our real estates and part ownership of the companies. To make matters worse, he promised that he's only son will marry his only daughter. If just one of the promises is broken, my father will end up in prison."

Sakura looked at him with eyes wide open. She clasped her hand over her mouth "Is this true or another lie?"

"This is the most honest I'll ever be. It's a family secret; no one is supposed to know. They just think my father woke up one morning and decided to partner up with Mr. Kanzaki. My engagement to her is nothing more than a business deal."

She swallowed hard "Why didn't you tell me."

"I guess I wanted to give you hope rather than have you give up on me—I know it was wrong."

Sakura sighed "So what's going to happen to the baby and me?"

He shrugged his shoulders "I've been postponing the wedding for four years now. I'll have to go through with it. I still want to be there for you and our child."

She couldn't think of anything to say to him so she stood up and slowly walked away. She sat on her bedroom floor and tried to figure out the perfect solution.

**1:45**

Syaoran lay on the couch still waiting for Sakura's response. The minute he heard her footsteps approaching him, he sat up and croaked his head to look at her.

She stood a short distance from him; even from there he could see that she had been crying. She ran her fingers through her hair and sighed. Her dress now looked messy and she wasn't wearing her shoes anymore.

"I think we need some time apart." She told him.

His eyebrows shot up, he was confused and scared at the same time. "Time apart?"

"I can't have you around me…you're only holding me back. I just want this pregnancy to go smoothly…no more drama."

He stood up "Sakura…you…you don't know what you're saying." He stuttered.

"I do." Her voice started to crack.

"And what about the baby, I want to be there for our baby." His mind was racing.

"I'll keep you updated; I just don't think we should be around each other. It's not good for either one of us."

He shook his head understandably despite the feeling of loss that alternated with resentment. He took one last meaningful look at her—Sakura Kinomoto…his Sakura Kinomoto. Without saying anything else, he walked out the door.

……………………..

_**Eriol and Tomoyo **_

**00:45**

Tomoyo ran after Eriol, she walked quickly behind and listened to him curse angrily to himself.

"Slow down!" She told him following him to the road side.

Cars screeched at a halt to let them pass, Tomoyo did not know what she was doing; all that she knew was that she was worried about Eriol. Even though he didn't escape with as much injuries as Syaoran did, he appeared too drunk to function.

She managed to catch up with him "Where are you going?" she squealed sounding like a curious child.

He looked at her across his shoulder "Go home…why are you following me anyway?"

Tomoyo didn't have a potential answer to that question "Uh…Sakura left with Syaoran."

"So, don't you have a car Casper?"

Tomoyo was ready to stop following him and walk away. He took out a cigarette and lit it. As he slowly walked and dragged on it, Tomoyo stood behind him. He finally stopped walking.

"My apartment is only a few blocks from here." He started slowly averting to her.

Tomoyo shrugged "So?"

"I'm going the home." He said gently.

"And what about your party?"

He watched the smoke from the cigarette disappear "I'm not going back, that bastard ruined my night and my party."

"What happened anyway?"

Eriol sighed "There I was having my tequila, I turn around and suddenly that idiot Syaoran throws a punch straight in my face. So I did the only reasonable thing…"

"You retreated." Tomoyo said sarcastically.

He chuckled "I beat the hell out his sorry ass and showed him whose boss."

He moved closer to her taking another smoke of his cigarette "Hey, you want to come over?"

Tomoyo's eyebrows shot up "No." she told him.

He shook his head "We'll just talk….I need someone to talk to." He begged.

Tomoyo sighed and took time to think about his offer—it was a dangerous offer. He was drunk and she had been drinking.

"I don't have the whole night Casper." He told her.

She shrugged "What the heck."

On their way to his apartment Tomoyo asked "Why didn't you tell Sakura you knew that Syaoran was lying to her?"

He shrugged and said in hoarse tone "I thought that the longer he kept it, the more serious it would become; by time she'd find out, she would seek comfort in my arms and I'd be the hero."

**01:10**

"This is an upgrade." Tomoyo commented with reference to his apartment.

He smirked and led her to the lounge with just what they needed—more alcohol. They sat next to each other with their legs resting on the coffee table and their hands on their chest.

"Sakura was the love of my life." He started "We had everything in common, I'm sure you saw it. So much chemistry and the same dreams…then she had to sleep with that son of a bitch. I wish I never left her behind—things would have been different. We could have been together."

Tomoyo tightened her fist, if she was to hear more of his sulking; she was going to go crazy.

"Did I tell you how we met?"

Tomoyo rolled her eyes "She told me already."

He sighed "I'll tell you anyway; the first time I saw her I thought, what a woman and…"

"Shut up." Tomoyo muttered thinking he didn't hear her.

He looked at her "What?"

She exhaled nosily "Shut up!" she said loudly.

"What's your problem?"

Tomoyo sat up "You are my problem! You've been my problem from the minute you walked into me and Sakura's lives that day when we first met you!" she placed her hands on her waist "Oh look at me, I'm Eriol and all I want to do is force Sakura into loving me." She imitated.

"I have never tried to force Sakura to love me."

"Yes you did, you can't stand it that she never loved you then and she still doesn't love you now and she never will."

Eriol frowned "Last time I wasn't patient with her…"

"Do you hear yourself when you speak? That's bullshit, incase you haven't noticed she's crazy about Syaoran…far crazy for him than she will ever be for you! So get over it. You spend two years trying to get her to say she loves you and it only took two weeks for her to tell Syaoran she loved him."

"Syaoran is an immature rich brat."

Tomoyo placed her hands behind her head "You know what, I feel so sorry for you. Even if she never forgives that immature rich brat, she will always feel more for him than for you. There I said it."

Eriol never looked at his relationship with Sakura that way, it hurt but Tomoyo was telling the truth. How could he not have seen that? He swallowed hard and looked like he was going to cry. For nearly seven years he had been dreaming of a girl that would never love him.

**01:30**

"So what do I do now?" He asked Tomoyo not moving an inch.

Tomoyo looked at him then looked away. She played with her fingers and muttered "They are other girls you know."

He allowed a weak chuckle to escape his lips "Oh really, none of them are as good as Sakura."

Tomoyo croaked her head and looked at him "I guess that means I'm not as good as she is."

Eriol finally moved, he sat up and looked at Tomoyo puzzled "What on earth are you talking about?"

She shrugged and he moved closer to her "Casper, that's not what I meant to say."

"Will you grow up and quit calling me that stupid name. My name is Tomoyo incase you've forgotten."

He mused a saucy chuckle "Alright, Tomoyo…I'm not making fun of you when I call you those names." He gently tucked her long raven hair behind her ear. "When I first say you, you reminded me of snow white. You reminded me of December and snow flakes, winter is my favorite season."

"Then why do you call me Casper most of the time."

He smiled at her "The cute friendly ghost—because that's what you are, apart from the ghost part."

Tomoyo giggled, he was too close to her, he smelled of beer but then again so did she. "When we were high school and you and Sakura were dating. I had this thing for you…of course I couldn't tell you. You were best friends' boyfriend so for two years I sat back and watched you give your full attention to her. Even after you walked out of her life I thought of you. My heart would beat whenever I heard your name." she said coyly.

He rotated her face to his direction and their eyes met. Slowly their eyes closed and their lips met. They shared a slow delicate kiss then gradually parted.

He smiled at her and snuck his hand behind her neck. They shared another kiss and this time the kiss was impatient. From then on the kiss lost control; he was all over her and as she brought him closer to heart attack. She moved on top of him with her thighs hugging his waist. He took a whiff of her sensual aroma…it gave him tingles town his spine. It made him want her more and more. He needed her to kill his thirst and she just couldn't stop kissing him—it was not like her to let a man she wasn't even dating to go so far.

His fingers sunk into her hips as his kisses slide down to her jaw line. He wanted to feel every bone in her body against his…he had to. She had her arms around his neck and moaned in between the kisses. He traced her every outline, her body was like a pot of gold. He didn't know where to start because every touch was more intense and more meaningful that the last.

Suddenly his hands elevated from her hips to her stomach. He caressed and massaged it for sometime before his hands suddenly slid under her shirt, he cupped her breast feeling her lacy bra beneath his fingers. Tomoyo gasped.

She did not respond to his touch anymore; she grabbed his hand and pulled it from under her. "Slow down cowboy, I'm not that wasted."

He smirked thinking they were on the same page "What do you say we take this somewhere else—let's say my bedroom."

Tomoyo rolled her eyes and quickly got off of him. "You must think I'm easy to ask me that kind of question."

Eriol smirked "You're not easy, trust me I don't think you are. You're gorgeous and absolutely independent. "

"Typical male, you would say anything just to get laid." She straightened her clothes and grabbed her handbag.

He followed her to the door and before she could open it, he put his arms around her waist. "Come on; don't go home….I need you tonight." He said in short breaths.

She pushed his hands away "Listen Eriol, I know you won't remember anything I said tonight. If you don't like me back, you should have told me instead of use my feelings to your advantage."

He moved out of her way and let her go.

………………………

**AN: This is I think my shortest chapter in a while and I added another love story E+T. I can't believe it's already chapter nine. Usually I write up to twelve chapters so I guess it's slowly coming to an end. Sorry, no big fight scene. This chapter and the last are all about arguments so I'll tone it down from now on. This is probably the last argument I'll write for this story. REVIEWS PLZ :') **


	10. Letting go

**Sometime in April**

**Chapter 10**

**Letting go**

Sakura took out a bottle of milk from the refrigerator and poured it into a tall glass that had colorful fish decorations. She placed it next to a plate of cookies when two tiny hands grabbed the hem of her dress. She looked down at the little boy staring tenderly at her.

He rubbed his tiny eyes and looked tiredly at her "Mommy…" the little boy moaned "I'm hungry."

Sakura crouched to the little boy's level and looked into his tired eyes "Sit down and I'll give you milk and cookies."

The little boy jumped in delight as his mother looked adoringly at him. She rubbed her thumb against his cheek to rub off the tiny speck of dirt on it. He frowned irritated and pulled his face away "Mommy!" he whined.

Sakura stopped and planted a kiss on his forehead. He rushed to the table and pulled out a chair. He sat on it, swiftly pulling up his tiny legs. Sakura brought the four year old the glass of milk and what the little boy called a "grownups plate."

She sat across him and took a cookie from his plate.

The little boy looked up "Are we going to park—remember you promised."

Sakura leered "Of course we are."

The little boy gulped down the milk leaving a milk mustache on the space between his nose and his lips. He swung his tiny feet that dangled from the chair. Suddenly he frowned and gave his mother a quizzical look.

"Hey mom can I ask you something?"

Sakura nodded, she had never seen him look so worried "Sure."

The boy took a deep breath "How come I don't have a Dad?"

Sakura's eyes widened, she never expected the question to come as quick as it did. The boy had long noticed that a father was absent in his life. He simply ignored it and made believe his father was a super hero saving the world and one day he would come for him. One boy at school asked him about his father, he didn't know what to say. He told the boy that his father was a super hero but the other boy kept speculating.

Sakura wanted to break down and cry; she knew she had to tell him the truth someday but how do you tell a four year old that you told his father to stay away from her. That you wanted his father out of their lives because knowing that he would eventually marry another woman was too painful. His father had a new life, a new family…

She shook her fingers through his hair "Remember what I told you honey, we'll visit him someday." She pretended to be joyful.

Her son was still frowning "I want my own daddy, like all my friends."

Sakura sighed and withdrew her hand "Finish your snack and we'll go to the park."

"Mommy, you chased him away didn't you! You made him leave us, he wanted to be there but you made him go away. He's never going to come back mommy never!!!"

Sakura gasped and woke up from the nightmare. She was breathing very fast and her eyes were flooded with tears. She sat up and gently placed a hand over her stomach. She had four separate dreams that included her unborn child. When she woke up, she would forget his face and his voice.

During breakfast she old Tomoyo about it, Tomoyo had moved in with her a few days earlier. She felt like she had to be with Sakura during that time.

"Has he called?" Tomoyo asked.

"No." she said in tone "I don't want to talk to him anyway. It's the baby I'm worried about."

Tomoyo held Sakura's shoulder; she did not know what to tell Sakura to make her feel better.

"It would be strange if we spoke. I tried my best to avoid this but if he does decide to show up, we will be like those parents who are constantly arguing. I don't see myself ever needing him again. I keep thinking that all of this is my fault."

"Sakura, don't be so hard on yourself."

She plastered a smiled "I'll be okay, I know I will."

After a few minutes, Tomoyo caught Sakura in the nursery. She was sitting on an armchair reading a book. Tomoyo leaned her head on the door post and looked at her.

"Sakura…" she started worriedly. "I made out with Eriol on new years day."

Sakura averted her gaze on Tomoyo, she was quiet and Tomoyo could not make out the look on her face.

"I know how much you hate secrets, don't worry, it was a one time thing. We haven't even spoken since then."

Sakura smirked "I'm surprised, but why?"

Tomoyo moved further into the room "I like him…a lot. I liked him even before you two started dated years back. I'm sorry."

"I don't see why you're sorry. Eriol was a great boyfriend and I would have been angry if you told me at the time but right now, I feel nothing for him."

"Apparently he feels nothing for me. He's such a jerk!"

"What exactly happened?"

Tomoyo told Sakura everything, their conversation spiraled to why being single is better than getting hurt. Soon after that, they laughed it off then carried on with the rest of the day.

……………………………….

Tomoyo made her way to her black convertible late afternoon when suddenly a car stopped right in front of hers, she immediately turned to see who it was that was being extremely rude blocking her way.

Eriol came out of the front seat of his white Mercedes. When he saw her, he smiled and sauntered her direction. Tomoyo sighed; she did not want to see him.

"Where are you off to?" he asked.

"That's none of your business."

"I'm sorry I never came, I needed time to myself." He started.

Tomoyo shrugged "What do you want Eriol."

He looked away for a second then back at her "I want to say I'm sorry. I was extremely wasted. I don't know what I was thinking."

"Oh." She played with her fingers.

"But, I remember every word you said."

She looked up and nodded as though unconvinced.

"I never meant to scare you away. I needed time to think about it and…I'd like to take you out."

She looked up coyly "Out?"

"You know, a date. We should probably start over again."

Tomoyo contemplated "Alright."

……………………………………

For four days, Syaoran had been in Hong Kong with his family. It was the most stressful time; he tried to bury his head in workload to take his mind off everything that went wrong but failed. The whole family was startled by his recent behavior; he was not very attentive and refused to participate in any of the family activities. Eventually he lost control of his feeling. It all happened Saturday night during the family dinner.

"You've been working so hard lately. Maybe you should take a vacation." His mother said looking at his tired face.

He shrugged his shoulders and carried on eating.

"Rumiko will be joining us for dinner. The long awaited wedding is finally going to happen." His father contributed.

Syaoran tightened his fist, if he heard the words 'wedding' and 'Rumiko' again he was going to go insane.

"You can't avoid settling down forever. I know you think you are still young but your Father and I married when he was only twenty one. You are lucky that **Rumiko** is such a fine woman."

Syaoran dropped his fork; tight lines of irritation invaded his forehead "I don't want to marry her." He snapped.

His parents looked at each other then back at him.

"What do you mean?" his father said getting crossed.

"I'm so tired of you always making decisions for me, I don't love her and I can never love her."

His mother stared at him; the hurt in her eyes was easy to trace "You know very well why you have to marry her." She said.

Syaoran abruptly stood up "Why should I throw away my life just for you father when all you've done is brought this family nothing but pain."

"This is what you're problem is, you are selfish. It always has to be about you, I made sacrifices for you, far more than you will ever know. You will never become a man"

"Bullshit." Syaoran erupted "I'm more of a man that you will ever be. I'm not doing it!"

"Sit down!" Yelan ordered.

"Now you listen son; you've been given everything from the day you were born. Is it so damn hard to return the favor?" His father growled.

"It's not a favor; it's a stupid business deal. You sold me out!"

"Syaoran, calm down and listen to your father." Yelan yelled at him.

"I can't believe you are taking his side, he's hurt you the most." His eyebrows were twitching and his jaw tightened. He glared at his father then dashed out of the dining room.

A few minutes later, Yelan came knocking on his bedroom door; she let herself in and caught him staring out the window.

"That was not a way of approaching the situation." She said in a calm gentle tone.

"I had no other way of doing it." He choked on his words.

"What's this really about, you never complained about the wedding arrangements before."

"I didn't want to disappoint you." He said wretchedly.

"You can never disappoint me."

He took a deep breath and softly said to her "Mother, while I was in Japan, I fell in love with someone else, don't be mad at me."

She said nothing.

"All my love has been given to her, I have none left for Rumiko." His voice began to crack "I know I'm doing this for Father but I've lost the love of my life for him…and you Mother and right now I'm not sure if it was worth it."

She moved closer to him "What is this woman's name?"

"Her name is Sakura." He turned around "She hates me now, I've known her for more than two years but we only got together for three months. It was the best three months of my life and I don't think I'll ever feel anything like it.

She looked at him sympathetically "Sometimes in life, you just have to let go. It's not easy. When my mother told me that your father was the man I was going to marry, I ran away from home. I did not love him nonetheless like him. I wanted to marry for love and not for family gain."

"So why did you marry him."

"I had to, that was what my parents thought was best for me. When we got married I didn't even want him to touch me. I locked myself in my room and came out when he was gone. He tried to get me to talk to him but I was stubborn. Eventually I gave in and we spoke. Soon we were a real married couple. I must admit, it took me four years for me to fall in love with him but I did. Despite what you may think, I love your father."

"But why, he is not an honorable man. He cheated on you and committed a crime."

"I know, I forgave him…what else could I do. People tend to hurt the people they love the most, but that doesn't make their love insignificant. I love him unconditionally and if you give Rumiko a chance, you might grow to love her. _Maybe _even more than you love this…Sakura."

Syaoran was silent; he looked down and refused to absorb the image of himself kissing Rumiko, making love to her…loving her.

"If you don't want to do this for your father, do it for me. Your union to Rumiko might actually mend all the unseen cracks in this family."

She looked him in the eyes and left. He did not realize it at first for he was caught up in his sequence of thoughts but, she had been crying.

Syaoran looked outside and took out a picture of Sakura from his wallet. In it, she was sitting on a swing in a beautiful pink summer dress. She was smiling, she was beautiful. He swallowed hard and thought back to the day he took it. His eyes became teary but he managed to restrain himself from shedding any tears. He told himself that real men don't cry and he took a deep breath, put the picture away then looked outside the window.

"I'm sorry Sakura…" he muttered to himself.

He could feel his youth slipping from him, this was by far the hardest decision he had ever made.

…………………………

**A/N: I'm sorry the chapter is so short hopefully not too boring; it's just that I'm saving all the good stuff for the next chapter. I don't want to give away too much but; Sakura will be almost nine months pregnant in chapter 11 o.0. Don't you want to see how that turns out? So pls review this one and thanks for reading. **


	11. A family affair

**Sometime in April**

**Chapter 11**

**A family Affair**

It was the second week of April; it was the perfect time of year for new beginnings. The previous months she had been slightly content, she learnt to accept her fate and treated the disastrous incident that happened months earlier as a lesson to be learnt. She had it all ready; she and Tomoyo finished decorating the nursery weeks earlier. It was baby blue with everything a baby could possibly need. She moved to the room next to the nursery and cleared up some of the furniture in order to make more room for the baby to play in.

She had it all figured out—well almost. There was a large cardboard box standing in the middle of her living room floor.

"Who's it from?" Tomoyo asked coming from the kitchen with a tub of ice-cream in her hands.

"I don't know. There is no name." Sakura's shoulders slumped.

Tomoyo placed the tub of ice cream on the coffee table and checked to see if there was a name anywhere on the box. She stood up and shook her head.

"No name…wait you think it's from…" she looked at Sakura who had a nervous look on her face.

"It can't be him." She said apprehensively "He hasn't contacted me since that crazy night. I don't even know where he is."

Tomoyo placed her hands firmly on her hips before looking at Sakura "Eriol says he was in Paris last week."

Sakura sighed lightly and quickly muttered "Who cares anyway."

They stood there for a few seconds before Tomoyo averted her gaze to the box then back at Sakura. "Why don't you open it?"

Sakura shrugged "I don't know." She wanted it to be him yet at the same time she didn't. She felt like he abandoned their unborn child and he didn't deserve forgiveness but at the same time, she did push him away.

"Fine I'll open it." Tomoyo quickly knelt and impatiently ripped the box open. When she saw all the things that were inside, she slowly looked at Sakura.

"Holy crap!" she said in incredulity.

Sakura moved closer and took a peek. The first thing that caught her eye was a rocking horse then there were many cuddly toys stuffed next to it. Tomoyo looked further in the box and found clothes, diapers, children's books, blankets and anything else that a baby might need.

Tomoyo grabbed one of the baby's clothes "Wow, designer baby clothes. It has to be Syaoran."

Sakura's eyes nearly popped out; she was surprised but was not as thrilled as Tomoyo was.

"You're going to have one lucky baby."

She shifted her gaze back to the box "Is there a note inside?"

Tomoyo searched for a note but found nothing "Nope." She told Sakura.

Later that evening was Sakura's baby shower. Tomoyo had been amazing, she set up everything. She cooked the food, she made the invitations and she even had a camera ready. All Sakura had to do was sit down and be pregnant; at least that was what Tomoyo told her to.

Sakura and Tomoyo sat in the living room as they waited for the guests to arrive. Tomoyo looked at Sakura, despite waiting for what was supposed to be a joyful event; she looked poignant and troubled. Tomoyo knew what was really going on and Sakura knew that she did but none spoke of it.

On some nights, she would break into tears. Tomoyo would lean on her bedroom door and hear loud cries. Bit by bit her sobs would taper off. She'd sniff a little. Finally she was quiet.

Most mornings she'd stay in bed and pretend she was just tired when she was really too sad and hopeless to face the day. Other times she was drunk with happiness, she was always in the kitchen humming a lullaby while cooking something sweet, she took up knitting and took special classes so that she would easily shed the pounds after giving birth.

At that moment, she looked like she was going to cry again.

"Everything is going to be alright." Tomoyo tried to consol her. "What are you so afraid of? Many women raise children on their own and you never know, he might come through."

Sakura did not look convinced but she nodded. It was not only about the fear of being a single parent, it was a broken heart; it was the feeling that she will never love another man.

It had been all over the tabloids, there was no escaping it 'CHINA'S MOST POPULAR HEIR READY TO SETTLE DOWN WITH LONG TIME FIANCEE, SOCIALITE RUMIKO KANZAKI.' The news spread like wildfire. It was on the cover of every gossip magazine. One time, her curiosity got the best of her and she looked through one of the magazines. There was a whole page dedicated to Rumiko, her rising fame in China and her pick for a wedding dress. She even told the magazine that though her marriage to Syaoran was arranged, she loved and respected him very much and that he was an honorable man with an abundance of kindness in his heart.

Sakura regretted ever reading the magazine but things only got worse. On the first day of April, her birthday, she received a wedding invitation from Rumiko through the mail. The wedding was to be at the largest mansion her father owned in Japan. Tomoyo was invited too but decided not to go for Sakuras' sake.

The door bell rang and Tomoyo rushed to open the door. Sakura plastered a smile as everyone treated her with kindness and love. The baby shower went considerably well. After the party, Chiharu and Rikku decided to stay and help clean up. Tomoyo was with Rikku in the living room when their conversation spiraled to the most anticipated wedding of the year.

"I bet you, all the guests will leave with cell phones." Rikku said smiling.

Tomoyo sighed, she wished Rikku didn't talk about _it_ the way she did "Who cares, it's probably going to suck."

"If I were you Tomoyo, I would have gone."

"Rikku…" Tomoyo moved closer for a near whisper "What if Sakura hears you."

"She's in the other room and besides remember, she says she doesn't care anymore."

Tomoyo picked a gift wrapper from the floor "She doesn't mean it, he's getting married tomorrow. Why do you think she's so withdrawn? Poor Sakura."

"She should just forget about him. I know he's hot and rich and all but she can find another hot rich guy."

Tomoyo rolled her eyes, the door bell rang and she hurried to it.

She quickly opened it, he eyes widened and her jaw dropped immediately. She looked at Rikku from across her shoulder then back at him. He was looking at the floor before he looked up at her.

"Is Sakura here?" he looked at her sheepishly begging with his eyes.

She nodded hard.

He tucked his hands in his pocket, he was coy in his disposition; She had never seen that side of him before.

"Can I come in?" he said gently.

Rikku clasped her hand over her mouth then immediately removed it; he greeted her with a simple node.

"Congratulations on your engagement!" she said jittery.

He said nothing but averted his gaze to Tomoyo "Where is she?"

"She's in the nursery."

……………………..

Sakura held a tiny baby blue sock up "These are my favorites and I just love the matching bib." She told Chiharu.

Chiharu turned around; when she saw **him** she patted Sakura on the shoulder "You have company." She whispered.

Sakura turned around, the smile on her face slowly fading. She stood still and looked helplessly at him before turning her head away.

He couldn't believe what a difference four months could make. She was much bigger than when he left her, her face was still beautiful and radiant.

"I'll leave you two alone." Chiharu walked past Syaoran.

Syaoran closed the door and leaned on it. He stood for a while, slouching and looking away. He was too ashamed to say anything to her just yet.

"Did you get the stuff?" he finally spoke.

She nodded looking away "What are you doing here?"

He stood up straight and swallowed hard "I wanted to see how you were doing?"

"After four months?"

He slightly nodded "I thought you wanted us apart."

"I did, just not for…" she paused then softly added "Congratulations; I got the invitation, I can't make it."

He was surprised but refused the urge to raise his eyebrows "She invited you?"

"Yes, you were hoping she didn't?"

He sighed heavily "It would be too painful to see you there."

"Look at the bright side, she loves you."

He did not comment on her statement. He wanted to oppose her but it was true, Rumiko did love him.

"How many weeks from now?"

She slightly smiled "Two weeks."

Their conversation was slow with short sentences. She did not have anything with substance to tell him, there was no need. He knew exactly how she felt about him, the baby and Rumiko. He left in half an hour.

"I'll see you later." Was all he told her.

He never talked about Rumiko or the wedding. He didn't want to, he missed Sakura too much. His visit was devoted to her alone. He left his own bachelor party just to see her. He only arrived in Japan a few days earlier. He meant to visit her then but Rumiko would grab his shoulder and say something like "You have to go for your fitting." "You have to come pick the right band to play at the wedding" or "We have to go practice our dance moves." It was torture in the form of an innocent bubbly woman.

"So what did he say?" Tomoyo asked her late that night after Syaoran left.

"Not much, it was weird…he was shy and I felt so sorry for him." She confessed "I've never seen him like that, his eyes were downcast and he spoke softly."

…………………….

On the day of the wedding, Syaoran sat in his room looking down at the wooden floor. The wedding was taking place in the garden. He ran his hands through his hair and sighed frustrated. He was finding it hard to put on his tuxedo. He stared at it, walked around it then sat down again.

A sharp knock came across the door.

"Come in." he said despondently.

"Dude, the wedding is in fifteen minutes and you're still not dressed." Eriol said closing the door.

Syaoran shrugged and stood up "Go away Eriol, you're the last person I want to see right now."

"I don't care. Everyone is waiting for you." He said drawing Syaoran tuxedo from the bed and shoving it in his hands.

Syaoran pretended to laugh "You must be happy, huh Eriol? As long as I'm not marrying Sakura, you're alright with it. Is that why you showed up? To see me suffer?"

Eriol ambled to the window "No, I don't feel that way about Sakura anymore and besides she barely talks to me."

"Good, we're even."

"All those people are waiting for you, all five hundred of them. You're not going to let them down are you?"

Syaoran was speechless.

"I'm not here to watch you suffer, get a grip. You're my brother; it wouldn't have made sense if I didn't come; Rumiko invited me and I could never pass on an opportunity to eat free cake and drink champagne." He joked before his tone got serious again "I know this is hard for you to do, I know how much you love Sakura and trust me she loves you too but you and I both know why you have to do this."

"I still don't believe you."

"I'm with Tomoyo now; I'm not saying this to get my way with Sakura or anything. I just think you should be a man about it. I' sorry for any trouble I might have caused. I don't understand why we dislike each other. You and I are alike in many ways."

"I'm nothing like you." Syaoran muttered.

Eriol tore his eyes from the sight outside; he grabbed Syaoran's shoulder and shook him hard "Yes you are little brother."

A tiny thread of pity went out from Eriol's heart.

When Eriol left, Syaoran managed to put on the tuxedo. He rushed to the garden and only then did the ceremony start.

……………………..

Rumiko looked stunning in a white strapless wedding dress. She looked at him waiting for him to promise her eternal love. His eyes wandered all over the place as the priest spoke; he barely heard a word the priest said. He could hear Sakura's voice in his head; he could see her beautiful emerald eyes staring back at him. He smiled; Rumiko smiled back thinking he was smiling at her.

In an instant he reflected back on his relationship with Sakura, he would die without her. All he wanted was to have a family with her, she was the only person he was willing to wake up with every morning, not the woman that was currently looking at him wide eyed with adoration.

"Do you?" the priest shook him.

Syaoran woke up from his daydream and averted his gaze to the pastor "I…."

He looked at Rumiko, the smile on her face slowly faded. He had an unsure look on his face.

"Rumiko you're a lovely woman any man would be lucky to have you…."

Meanwhile in the crowd, Eriol's phone rang. At first he was reluctant to take the call; he took out his cell phone then saw that it was Tomoyo.

"Hello." He whispered bending his head.

"Are you at the wedding?" Tomoyo asked in a loud jittery voice.

"Yes, Tomoyo can you call me…."

"Sakura is having the baby!" she interrupted screaming from the other side of the line.

"What?" A smile spread across Eriol's face "You're kidding."

"We're at the hospital right now!"

Eriol could hear screaming in the background.

"I've got to go!"

He immediately got out of his seat, the crowd looked at him and gasped "Excuse me…" he said trying to move between the rolls of seats.

"Sit down young man!" an old woman yelled at him.

He saw that it was going to take him forever to get to the front especially considering he was sitting far back. He waved his arms and yelled "Syaoran! Syaoran!"

Syaoran looked at Rumiko "I can't marry you." He told her intone "I love someone else and I…" he heard someone calling his name. He turned around and saw Eriol waving his arms.

He shrugged his shoulders "what?"

"THE BABY IS COMING!!!" Eriol yelled.

Syaoran's mouth slowly opened, his eyebrows rose and he stood still for a second. A smile gradually extend across his features. The minute he regained is conscious he looked at Rumiko and the priest.

"I've got to go."

He ran quickly across the grass, he could feel his heart beating swiftly with every step he took. He caught up with Eriol and they rushed to the car park. Rumiko looked at the guests then started running after Syaoran. By the time she reached the car park, he was already at the gate in Eriol's Mercedes. She hurried to her car and noticed that the wedding guests were also rushing to their cars and following Syaoran.

"What exactly did Tomoyo say?!" Syaoran asked frantic.

"Sakura is having the baby now."

He ran his hands through his hair, took a deep breath and bit his fingernails "Can't you go any faster!" he yelled at Eriol.

"Listen I'm trying my best!"

Suddenly Syaoran laughed "This is unbelievable, it's supposed to be next week! I hope she's doing fine!"

"Relax.." Eriol smiled.

They came across heavy traffic; Syaoran stuck his head out the window and grunted "It's going to take forever before we reach the hospital."

Eriol let the wheel go and rested his head comfortably on the chair "You're probably going to miss the birth part."

Syaoran's jaw tightened, he looked to see if there were any cars behind them. The whole wedding reception including a limo formed a role of traffic. He buried his head in hands frustrated.

"Why is this happening?" he muttered.

Eriol averted his head and looked at Syaoran "You know, people are going to be curious to know why you left your own wedding."

"I don't care." He said.

"And Dad, what will happen to him."

Syaoran shrugged "I don't know Eriol, I want Sakura. I want us to be a family more than I've ever wanted anything in my life. Birthdays and family vacations, I want to share that with her and our child, no one else will do."

Eriol patted Syaoran on the shoulder "You two will pull through…"

Syaoran closed his eyes then slowly opened them when he saw Rumiko approaching him through the rearview mirror. He sighed apprehensively watching her struggle trying to walk fast and pull the train of her dress at the same time. She walked over to him and leaned her hands on the door.

"What's going on?" she said softly, she looked terrible with her mascara running down her cheeks. Her eyes were glassy with tears. Syaoran regretted being the cause of her crying.

"I can't marry you Rumiko, you're a great woman but you deserve some one who truly loves you." He looked into her glistening eyes.

She looked down and swallowed "But, our parents set up this marriage it was a promise, I'm sure…" she paused and sniffed "I'm sure you can grow to love me."

"I can't" he paused "I'm already in love with another woman. My heart belongs to her. The woman I love is Sakura, you know your friend."

She averted her gaze away from him "Oh…so what is this all about, the running away…"

"She's having my child as we speak."

Rumiko gasped, all the pieces were finally coming together and it was clear why Sakura did not show up at the wedding. She could feel a river of pain flow in her body, her heart ached and she nearly stopped breathing. She looked at Syaoran intensely.

"Are you serious? She's having a baby right now?"

Syaoran nodded.

Rumiko opened the car door and pulled him out "What are you doing sitting on your ass? Do you know how to ride a motorcycle?"

He nodded "Yeah, why."

"There's one in the boot of the limo." _(A/N: hmmm, can it fit?) _

"How in the world is a motorcycle doing…"

"I'll explain some other time."

Syaoran smiled and hugged Rumiko. He looked at Eriol "Thanks."

"Come on, hurry up!" Rumiko took off her shoes and they both started running.

…………………………..20 minutes later at the hospital

Syaoran pushed the revolving doors and ran to the reception.

"I'm looking for Sakura Kinomoto, she's just had a baby and…" he was frantic he didn't know where to begin.

The woman looked at him with awe "Sir, take a deep breath and start all over again."

Syaoran took a deep breath then suddenly a chuckled slipped from his mouth "I'm just glad to be here." He ran his fingers through his hair. He slightly shifted his gaze when he saw Tomoyo in the waiting area. Without saying anything else to the nurse, he ran towards her bumping into patients on the way.

"Tomoyo!" he called long before he reached her.

She looked at and smiled.

"Where is she?" he was finally closer to her.

"She's alright."

He nervously folded his arms across his chest "And the baby, how is the baby?"

"Perfectly healthy. It wasn't easy though, I was there with her, she was like "I hate him, fuck you Syaoran for doing this to me!" Tomoyo made a face imitating Sakura.

Syaoran smiled as though he was being given a compliment "Is it a girl or a boy?"

Tomoyo smiled at him and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, he was still anxious and jittery

"Come on, let's go see."

His heart was thumping, he could barely contain himself. He regretted not being there on time. A doctor approached them with a clipboard in his hand.

"Sakura is sleeping, she needs the rest."

Tomoyo and Syaoran both nodded.

"Your son is…."

Syaoran's eyes widened in an instant and he said in a half whisper "My son?"

The doctor nodded with a smile.

Syaoran leaned his head on the glass and looked through the room where all the babies were kept. He looked at Tomoyo who had a wide smile on her face as she looked at the babies too.

"Which one is mine, they all look the same."

Tomoyo looked at him "Guess."

Syaoran looked hard then pointed, unexpectedly a tiny tear slipped from his eye. "That one…the first one in the second role."

"Correct." Tomoyo paused "Are you crying?"

He turned his face away from Tomoyo "Of course not, the wind…there's something in my eye. I don't cry."

Tomoyo rolled her eyes "Sure, whatever." She said sarcastically.

A nurse came and looked at Tomoyo and Syaoran "Would you like to hold the baby?"

Syaoran had a nervous look on his face; he swallowed hard and softly nodded. The first time he held his son in his arms was like seeing the world being created. He was so small, Syaoran could not believe it. He put his finger between his tiny hands and smiled. Their son had chestnut hair like his but when he opened his little tired eyes for a second, they were emerald like his mothers.

…………………..

Sakura slowly opened her weary eyes; she could not see anything at first. The image was blurry; everything that happened and how she ended up there came back to her. She rubbed her eyes. She could hear someone humming a lullaby; she started to think that she was still dreaming. She averted her gaze slowly; she blinked twice before believing what she was seeing. Syaoran was on a chair close to the wall holding their baby in his arms.

He looked up and saw Sakura. He smiled at her "He has your eyes." He said gently.

Sakura smiled "I told you it was a boy." she whispered, her voice was still rough from all the screaming she did hours earlier

Syaoran stood up still holing their bundle of joy in his hands. Cautiously he handed the child to Sakura. She looked at her son and chuckled then she looked at Syaoran again "He looks like you."

Syaoran leaned closer to Sakura "You think?"

She nodded "He's name is Takuya."

"I like it, it's perfect." He whispered not wanting to wake the baby.

She noticed that he was wearing what appeared to be a very expensive tuxedo, and she held back the desire to ask him if he was now married.

"He's so small; I still can't believe he's ours."

She looked at Takuya adoringly "How could you love someone you just met so much?"

"Sir, do you know all of these people in the waiting area. They say they are waiting for you and they are making a lot of noise." The nurse complained peeking through the door.

Syaoran wrinkled his nose; he remembered that the whole wedding reception followed him to the hospital. It was ridiculous how people didn't know how to mind their own business. Then again, among them were his parents and Rumiko's parents too.

"I'll be back…in a minute." He rushed out of the door getting an understanding node from Sakura.

The minute he entered the waiting area his jaw automatically dropped, his sisters, the bridesmaids, the band and even the priest was there. Most people were standing, talking and eating like they were at a party. His mother was the first to take note of his presence; she hurried to him pulling his father with her.

"What's wrong? What are you doing here? Why did you stop the wedding?"

He held his mothers shoulders "Mother relax, come with me."

His father stared at him as though waiting for permission to come too.

"You too father, it's important." He said.

As he lead his parents to the room Sakura was in, he could hear people saying "look there he is." "What's going on? Is he hurt?" "Why don't you let us in?"

He slowly opened the door "Sakura, do you mind if I bring my parents in?"

She watched Takuya return to slumber and nodded "Sure." Though she acted untailored, she was nervous and scared.

His Mother was the first to walk in and behind her was his father. Syaoran gently closed the door and walked to Sakura's side "This is Sakura; Sakura my parents" Syaoran looked up at his mother nervously; he was able to maintain a constant smile.

"Hello, how are you." Sakura rocked the baby in her arms.

"I'm fine."

Yelan looked at Syaoran wide-eyed and confused on many levels, she looked at Syaoran's father he was just as surprise. She looked at Syaoran and shrugged.

"Remember, I told you about her." He took Takuya from Sakura's hands and said "And this is my son…" he paused realizing how strange it felt to say 'my son' "He's name is Takuya."

Yelan took Takuya from Syaoran's arms, a smile spread across her face. Her amber eyes were watery and she placed a finger on the baby's tiny nose "He looks just like you when you were born. Finally a grandson. Look at him." She said moving closer to her husband.

He nodded "Excuse me." He walked out the door.

"He's mad at me." Syaoran looked down desolately.

Yelan looked at him "Maybe it's time you stop worrying about your father and worry about yourself for a change. You have a beautiful baby boy, what could be more precious."

Syaoran looked at Sakura and smiled at her, she slowly smiled back.

"I have a couple of things to take care of."

………………………..

"Rumiko, I need to talk to you." Syaoran pulled her away from the crowd into the foyer.

"You said everything you needed to Syaoran, I understand." She said with a watery smile.

He scratched his head "Now I need to ask you, what will happen to my father? You know the ordeal, I had to marry you…if I didn't I would be breaking a promise."

"I'll make sure nothing happens to your father. My father likes you, he would be disappointed but I'll tell him I don't love you anymore and I never wanted to marry you to begin with."

Syaoran smirked; she walked past him then stopped.

"I just wish you told me all this before it got out of control. You broke my heart Syaoran Li." She said intone "But I'll bounce back, Sakura is the sweetest person I've ever met, I'm not surprised you went for her. You're going to be a good father, I can tell."

"Thank you, Is this goodbye?"

She nodded "Yeah, I need to get my modeling career on track anyway."

Syaoran wanted to tell his father the good news but soon found out that he had left.

He walked into the waiting area where the reception was having their _party_. He walked to the secretary's desk and climbed on to of it. He stood up and looked down at the crowd. Taking a deep breath he yelled

"Everyone; keep quiet!"

In an instant there was silence, he cleared his throat "There is no wedding, there will be no wedding, go home people this is a hospital, have a little respect why don't you."

"Why?" A few people asked.

He smiled "My ex-girlfriend just gave birth to our baby boy!" this was a stretch for him, he was so used to being reclusive about everything. He did not understand how this happened, all the fear he had before had disappeared. The crowd applauded him to much of his surprise.

From there he rushed back to Sakura's room, he found Eriol and Tomoyo there. Sakura was talking frequently to Yelan who gave the baby his Chinese name.

…………………….

The next morning, Sakura caught Syaoran still sitting on the chair across her bed. She watched him for awhile. The previous day was unbelievable. She must have dreamt it. All the tension and anger between them faded.

He slowly opened his eyes; he caught her starring and flushed coyly "Good morning."

She blinked pulling away from the trans "Oh, morning."

He stood up and tucked his hands in his pocket "You look better, more radiant than yesterday."

She smiled at him shyly.

He picked up his jacket "I on the other hand look horrible, I need coffee."

She slowly sat up "You didn't have to stay here all night, I was asleep anyway."

"I know, I just couldn't bare the thought of leaving you and Takuya behind. I was afraid that if I went home or even stepped out of this hospital it would all disappear and I would wake up."

"Oh…" was all that came from her mouth.

"I'll be right back."

He opened the door and nearly bumped into Tomoyo. She had a carry all bag and a bouquet of sunflowers.

"Oh, Hi Syaoran." She said happily.

Syaoran smiled "Hi, I'm just on my way out." He slipped through the door and left.

"I got all your clothes and sunflowers I stole from my neighbors garden." She joked "Are you feeling better?"

Sakura smiled and nodded as Tomoyo dropped the bag on the floor. She placed the sunflowers on the side table.

"Yesterday was sure something." Tomoyo said casually. "Takuya is so adorable; I always knew you two would make a beautiful baby."

"Oh really…" she said lightly.

"Are you still interested?"

Sakura shrugged "In what?"

"Syaoran Li."

Sakura chuckled then blushed "What?"

"You heard me." Tomoyo grinned "Eriol says he was unable to go through with the wedding and he rode a motorcycle to get here. Isn't that sweet? He's single now you know, no engagement and I'm almost a hundred percent sure he's ready to settle down."

"Tomoyo, what do you want me to say, it's not like he's told me any of these things."

Tomoyo held Sakuras' hand "He will in his own time and you have to be ready when he does. Anyone can see he really loves you, so can you."

"What if…"

"Don't say anything; just promise me that you'll be ready to love him when he pours his heart out to you."

Sakura took a deep breath and looked at Tomoyo.

……………….

**A/N: I'm so horrible with names, well I wanted the baby's name to be special so much that in the end, I had to settle with something more ordinary. Chapter 12 will probably be the last chapter. Keep your eyes peeled for that one sometime next week. Sorry if the are any errors, it's a long chapter so I'm guessing they will be some that went unnoticed. Thank you all you reviewers and plz don't forget to review this one—hey I worked hard ...ccya.**


	12. The way we are

Disclaimer: I do not own ccs

**Sometime in April**

**Chapter 12**

**The way we are**

More than the spring was over. The season of new begins was fading and the suns warmth crept down to the earth.

"It's been two months Sakura and you two are still not a couple." Tomoyo complained to her best friend.

Sakura shrugged gently placing the baby back in his crib "We've been too busy with Takuya to even think of going there right now." It her mind it sounded like a solid excuse not to be with the man but in her heart she wished things would go faster and they would stop pretending to be friends.

Tomoyo wanted to punch the wall; it was difficult to see two people who know that they should be together acting like they don't want each other. He was at the apartment everyday, they spoke everyday and they spent hours in each other presence. It was like watching two shy middle school students hiding their feelings from each other.

"Oh Sakura, please don't give me that excuse."

Sakura just chuckled and averted to Takuya. She took a tiny bell and shook it. He giggled each time the bell rang.

"What do you want me to do; it's not necessary for me to tell him. He knows how I feel about him; I told him that I would love him forever. I'm sure he remembers that."

Tomoyo placed her hands on her waist and sighed "In other news, I'm going to spend the night at Eriols for the next couple of days."

Sakura turned around and looked at Tomoyo "You are? What in the world are you going to be doing there for a couple of days."

Tomoyo blushed "What most couples do when alone—crossword puzzles." She joked.

"So who's going to help with Takuya, you know I hate to spend the night alone. The way he cries at night, I won't get any sleep."

"Call Syaoran and ask him to sleepover for the next couple of days. He's here all the time anyway." Tomoyo slipped out of the room.

Sakura carried Takuya steadily and followed Tomoyo to her bedroom.

"Are you crazy? No I won't."

Tomoyo had an empty suitcase on her bed. She opened the chest of drawers next to the closet and started to throw items into the suitcase.

"Why not?" Tomoyo threw her favorite Victoria's secret bra into the suitcase.

Sakura rested Takuya's head on her shoulder "For starters, where is he going to sleep."

"With you—duh." Tomoyo giggled then added in a serious tone "On my bed."

Sakura released a heavy sigh, her cheeks went crimson. "I can't just call him and say 'Do you want to stay with me for a couple of days?' it sounds absurd."

Tomoyo turned around "No, it doesn't"

Sakura's eyes followed the items Tomoyo was tossing in her suitcase, she gave Tomoyo a puzzled expression "Crossword puzzles huh? Is that suppose to be an underwear? I never realized how naughty you were till now."

"I like to feel sexy." Tomoyo joked "I must say, I'm going to miss Takuya's crying, the smell of his dirty diapers and the drooling—boy am I going to miss the drooling." She teased sarcastically.

Sakura rolled her eyes "What if he says no."

"He won't say no, you look better than you did before you had Takuya. You lost the weight and your breasts are bigger. Trust me, resistance is futile."

Sakura handed Takuya to Tomoyo and rushed for her cell phone. She called him and the second he replied it slipped out…

"You don't have to come." She said nervously. '_I'm twenty five for heavens sake, why am acting like I'm seventeen.'_

"No, I want to…I mean if you want me to."

Sakura laughed nervously "I do…I mean we do, Takuya and I. He told me so."

Syaoran laughed "He's two months old; remember…he can't talk yet."

"If he could, that's what he would say." She said lightly.

…………………..

Syaoran came at approximately five thirty; Sakura hurried to the door yet casually opened it. The second his vision caught her he smirked. She invited him in and they started by casually greeting each other.

"Where is Takuya?" he asked gazing at her with embrace.

The feeling of his eyes on her made her blush "He's taking a nap."

He gently nodded, here he was with Sakura and he didn't know how to make her his. He felt pathetic, of course she felt the same way and she knew how he felt about her. He pondered if he should kiss her or let the night decide for itself.

"You can leave your bag in Tomoyos' room." She said walking past him and leading him to Tomoyo's bedroom.

He threw his bag on the bed and quietly sat on it, Sakura leaned on the wall. "I'm sorry if it's too much trouble."

"Are you kidding me, I'm glad I could spend time with you…and Takuya too."

The conversation seemed to go on forever, nothing meaningful was said or done. A single touch from one another made them blush. When Takuya woke up, all their attention was him. Inside, they longed for each other desperately. Every time they looked at each other, the urge to want to be in each others arms sucked the oxygen out of them.

After dinner, he decided to help her wash the dishes. They looked at each other from the corner of their eyes. They would laugh it off when they'd catch the other looking. It was like the first time they met when words did nothing. Their eyes spoke a language only they understood.

After everything was set and it was time for bed, he unintentionally walked her to her room. He leaned his head on the doorpost and she stood a short distance from him. Without saying anything he slipped his hands into his pocket. He looked like a teenage boy; one could never assume that he is even a father.

"Good night." She said softly.

He nodded then withdrew his head. He kept his eyes fixed on her; she could tell that the outcome of the moment left him unsatisfied. She felt the same way. He slowly walked away muttering "Yeah, good night."

Sakura slowly closed her bedroom door. Something in her told her not to lock it. She took a few steps into the room then stopped. The lamp dimly lit the room, the windows were still open. The wind blew the curtains and brought a distasteful feeling. She could feel her heart beat like a drum in her throat. Suddenly her bedroom door was open, before she could turn around a pair of strong arms grasped her slender waist.

She croaked her head to the side giving him the full length of her neck to kiss. Slowly she turned around and looked deeply into his eyes.

She tried to speak but nothing came out. He closed the gap between her lips and gave her a possessive heartwarming kiss. Every move he made; from the way his fingers sunk into her skin to the way he pulled her closer each time. Each action made up for the silence.

Abruptly he stopped, he looked at her and she could feel his hands gently pulling up her top. He treated it like it was a form of art rather than a strategic course of action bound to take them to a place where they would later dread leaving. They knew each other physically and mentally, this was their chance to meet spiritually.

Before he could tug the top over her breasts, they heard the sound of their baby crying. Immediately they stopped. First they looked at each other as though pondering if they should attend the baby or kiss—just for a minute.

"I'll go check on him." Sakura broke the silence. She walked past him and pulled her top down.

Takuya was a handful, he kept on crying. It took awhile before they were able to get him to sleep again. By the time he was asleep, the desire for passion was replaced with the desire to sleep.

That morning, they sat at the table for breakfast.

His eyes focused on his now empty plate "Sorry for…" he cleared his throat "Last night."

_Sorry, why is he sorry? Maybe because we didn't finish what we started…what if he's sorry for kissing me?_ She thought frantically.

She took a sip of her coffee "Me too." She told him blankly.

_Sorry, why is she sorry? Maybe because we didn't finish what we started…what if she's sorry for kissing me?_

Syaoran thought his features were doing a spectacular job hiding his thoughts.

"It won't happen again, right." He looked at her a faint quizzical expression softened the lean ridges on his face.

"Yeah." She said softly looking at him.

He pushed back from the table and started to rise. While they were clearing the dishes, his arm brushed against hers. She turned around and threw herself in his arms. Their lips locked and they were at it again—kissing like their lives depended on it.

Sakura felt her feet leaving the group as he picked her up. She automatically wrapped her legs around his hips.

"We'll wake him up." Sakura said into his lip.

Syaoran moved from her lips to her jaw line "I'll be quiet if you promise to do the same." He said in between breath.

"Negative." Sakura moaned "I can't promise that…you're just so irresistible…" she confessed, her legs begun to tremble.

"I can't take this any longer, I must have you." He tried to speak in between the kisses.

Syaoran was ready to whisk her away to the nearest source of support—the table, when they heard crying from the other room. They immediately stopped kissing and both released gentle sighs. Although it was a set back, they both smiled and reluctantly released each other.

They both made their way to the nursery. Syaoran carried the crying baby and smiled at him. He made silly faces then allowed his tiny head to rest on his shoulder.

"Maybe he's hungry." He told Sakura, "I think he'd be really happy if you breast feed him." Syaoran yelled above the loud crying.

Sakura croaked her head "You mean you would be happy."

Syaoran shot her he's infamous boyish grin. "A little."

"Check his diaper, maybe he needs changing."

"How do I…" Syaoran stopped when he turned around and saw that Sakura had disappeared.

He looked at Takuya and shook his head worryingly "Why does your Mom insist I change your diaper when she knows very well I'm bad at this?"

Takuya stopped crying.

Syaoran didn't know where to start, the first few times he did Sakura was in the room. He undid the diaper then wrinkled his nose.

"Sakura….a little help here." He said holding his breath to suppress the awful smell.

"I'm in the shower!" she yelled from the other room.

He moved closer again, the baby giggled at the sight of a nervous man.

"Uh…it's green…is that normal for a baby?"

Sakura came out of the shower; she pushed Syaoran aside "Let me show you how the pros do it…for the tenth time."

Syaoran stared at her. Her skin was covered in steam, her skin glowed and she wore a short pink towel. _"A man can handle so much_." He thought his cheeks turning red.

"I don't think I'll ever get used to the sight and smell." He complained now looking at her thighs.

Sakura changed Takuyas' diaper then hurried back to the shower. Syaoran watched Takuya in his crib. He smiled then whispered to him…

"We need to have a serious talk, father to son. If you keep crying, daddy will never get a chance with mummy. I know it's too early for us to be having this talk but if you can only give your mommy and I an hour of our own, we can be a real family."

Takuya stared at him with awe, his emerald eyes shone brightly at his father.

…………………..

Monday morning at Li corp., Eriol caught Syaoran asleep with his head resting on the desk. Eriol shook his head then chuckled. He shook Syaoran and abruptly, Syaoran's head shot up.

"Is there a meeting? What I miss?" he was delusional.

Eriol grinned "Up all night huh?"

Syaoran yawned "Yep, but it's not what you think, I wish it was, but it isn't."

"Baby trouble?"

Syaoran nodded tiredly "All weekend we tried…we lost hope at the end of it all. Takuya just won't stop crying." He complained.

Eriol walked over to Syaoran and hit him on the head.

"Ow, what's that for?" Syaoran moaned.

"It has been two months; you two have only decided to take it further now? Why don't you plan a getaway weekend with Sakura?"

The tired expression on his face faded "That's a great idea except who's going to look after the baby. Sakura is attached to the baby, she would hate to leave him and I'll miss the little guy."

Eriol sighed "Get a baby sitter for heavens sake, or your mother."

"Mother is in Hong Kong. I wonder who would be willing to take care of Takuya for two days?" Syaoran pondered.

His eyes drifted to his brother, he grinned passively.

"You and Tomoyo, you're his uncle and Tomoyo is his Godmother, your like his second parents."

Eriol's eyebrows rose then he thought about it "Alright, sure."

"The only problem now is Sakura…"

………………….

"I hope Tomoyo remembers to change his nappy regularly." Sakura said as they left the city in Syaorans' convertible in the evening.

"Don't worry; she'll figure it out."

Sakura bit off a finger nail "Maybe this is too early to leave him. I already miss his tiny nose, those little feet and…" she stopped when Syaoran looked at her.

"Fine, I won't worry."

After a few minutes, Sakura realized that they were driving through the suburbs. She peered through the window, her eyes widened. It was a beautiful neighborhood; there was a lamp post near ever house. Each house was big with a beautiful garden. She could only dream of living at such a place.

"I've never been here before." She told Syaoran "My father wanted us to live here but it was too expensive so instead we moved into a bigger house in Tomedea."

"I want to show you something."

He parked the car in front of a two story house. The lights were off, it was deserted. She could not see it very well for it was too dark. What she did see were bow windows, a verandah and a beautiful garden.

"What are we doing here?" Syaoran got out of the car and she followed him.

He led her to the front door then finally he answered her question "I'll be living here now." He opened the front door.

Sakura walked in and looked around. The foyer was empty and so was the living room. She turned around and looked at him.

"It's a beautiful house; all you need is a decorator."

He smiled with relief; she looked around appreciating every ounce of the house. He adored her endearing sense of charm. He watched her study the house. She went upstairs and he followed her.

"So is this your room?" she asked looking at him then slowly opened the door. To much of her amazement, the room was filled with bouquet of red roses. Candles lit the room and there were rose petals scattered all over carpet. Sakura had to catch her breath; she placed a hand on her heart, surly it was going to explode. Slowly, she motioned to Syaoran.

"You did all this?" her hands trembled.

He nodded softly giving her half a smile. She walked further into the room still holding his hand.

He cleared his throat intentionally "What I was thinking was maybe we could decorate…once we're married…or before."

She looked at him, her face held a mixture of happiness and shock "Married?"

He coughed "yeah married." He said coyly.

Her eyes softened and he looked into them. "I don't want my feelings for you to sound cliché; I don't want it to be because it seems like the best thing to do or because we have a child together." He held her hand then knelt on one foot.

Sakura blinked and held her other hand to her heart, it was still beating violently.

"I want us to be together because no one makes me feel the way you do and I like who I am when I'm with you. I've spend every waking moment from the day we meet wondering what it is about you that makes me feel this way, I'm ready to spend my whole life trying to figure it out. So what do you say Sakura, will you let me love you and take care of you for eternity? Will you marry me?"

She nodded trying hard to pull herself back to reality. It was like she was in a movie; he was perfect, she didn't know how to react.

He slowly stood up "Is that a yes?"

She threw her hands around him and nodded hard "Yes! Yes!" Tears emerged in her eyes. She held him close and he held her too. She thought back at all the things they went through to be together. It was one disaster after another.

She withdrew her head and looked at him. His eyes were glassy "I love you so much Syaoran; I wish they were better words to describe how much."

"And I love you."

He fumbled in his pocket and pulled out an engagement ring. It was a beautiful ring. Four tiny silver hands clasped around a diamond. Her hands trembled as he slipped it around her finger. Finally they sealed the moment with a passionate kiss.

………………….

**Sakura's POV**

….and that's how I ended with up married to Syaoran Li. We've been married for four years now, a few things have changed but we're still madly in love. Sometimes it still feels like a dream but I'm quickly reminded every morning when Takuya climbs on our bed and bounces on it while I'm still asleep. Today was no different except Syaoran was already up and I was having trouble getting out of bed.

"Mummy, look how high I can jump!" Takuya said cheerfully still in his pajamas.

"Takuya! Will you get off the bed? Your mother is not feeling too well and you're going to be late for school." Syaoran walked into the room.

Takuya stopped jumping; he leaned towards me trying to get a glimpse of my face. I purposely opened one of my eyes then smiled at him.

"Are you awake?" He shook me, his tiny hands grabbing my forearm "Daddy, I think she has a tummy ache."

Syaoran grabbed Takuya and pulled him away from me. He carried Takuya over his shoulder and tickled him.

"Don't worry; your mother is going to be just fine. Now we don't want to be late."

Takuya giggled hysterically.

While Takuya played in the bath, Syaoran came back and sat next to me. He gently brushed my hair from my face.

"I'm sure it's nothing." He told me holding my hand.

"I hope so."

He caressed my cheek then kissed my forehead "Ill try to get Takuya ready on time but you know how he can be sometimes."

I smiled and held unto his hand.

"Don't forget, tonight is the cocktail party. Eight o'clock."

It always felt like we were constantly being invited to special gatherings. We spent every Friday and Saturday night in the company of others. At first, I would take hours to prepare but now that I'm used to it, minutes are all I really need. Since I met him, I always wanted to be part of his adventurous lifestyle, now I am.

What I find most delightful is simply spending time with him and our son. It never gets easier but I think we're doing alright as parents. Before Takuya was born, Syaoran had many doubts and though I never confessed it to him, so did I. I see Syaoran in Takuya, yet a little bit of me. He is a fast learner and shy, like his father yet creative and stubborn—like me.

After picking Takuya from school, Tomoyo and I sat along the counter with a beverage in our hands. Meanwhile, Takuya played around the store.

"I'm through with him." Tomoyo whined hitting the counter "He's such a jerk." She grunted.

I giggled inwardly; she had said those words one too many times for me to take them seriously.

Tomoyo pouted "You're not taking me seriously but I mean it. Eriol and I were never compatible to begin with. He can go to Hong Kong forever for all I care. "

"Are you saying what I think your saying?"

She nodded hard "Yep! It's…." she paused then said sadly "Over, I know everyone keeps thinking we'll get back together but…we fought, it wasn't like all our other fights. He's already moved out."

My eyes widened in shock "No way."

She nodded then looked at me. Suddenly she giggled "It's alright…Ill get over him I promise."

"Hmmm, Tomoyo, how do you get over four years of memories?"

"I don't know." She shrugged "…but it's good…for the both of us—at least that's what he said. I only pretended to agree."

"It hurts, doesn't it?" I told her softly.

She smiled "It's nothing, wow Sakura, you really know how to intensify a moment." She flung her long raven hair back "Like I said, I'll get over the guy."

"Oh…" I muttered. It was impossible for me to believe her.

"Mommy, I bored now. When can we go home?" Takuya said now standing behind me.

I turned around, carried him and sat him on the counter "Soon." I smiled lightly poking his little nose.

Takuya yawned then started to play with the stuffed toys next to the cash register.

"You should ask your Mommy and Daddy to buy you a little brother or sister." Tomoyo looked at me, winked then giggled.

Takuya looked at me and smiled. His emerald eyes stared widely back at me. "Will you mummy please?"

I playfully ran my fingers through his disheveled hair "Of course."

Takuya smiled then returned to playing with the stuffed toys.

"Do you mean it?" Tomoyo asked looking like she was ready to smile.

I nodded "We've been trying for more than a month now. I don't understand, Takuya was so easy to make." I chuckled "This time, it's not as easy as it was back then. This morning I woke up feeling sick…I just hope maybe that was a sign."

Tomoyo leaned her hands on the counter and smiled "When it happens, just remember to tell him this time." She laughed.

When closing time came up, Syaoran surprisingly came through the door. Takuya beat me on my way to his arms. I gave Syaoran a quick kiss then Tomoyo greeted him.

"I better close up before we can go."

"Sakura, I'll close up. You three go right ahead." She smiled.

I nodded and left with Syaoran. On our way to the car he gave me a part serious look.

"She seems alright, how could she be?"

I shrugged "She's only pretending, that's how she gets when her heart is broken. I'm assuming you spoke to Eriol….what did he say?"

We stopped walking; Syaoran pulled Takuya close to his side "He said they promise to be friends. I can't believe it; I almost started to think that they were going to finally tie the note. It would have been something."

I nodded sensing the disappointment in his tone.

"I was thinking." He said with a boyish grin "Let's spend the night out as a family instead of going to the party. It's a Friday night; it's been a while since we ate out."

"That's a great idea."

………………………..

We reached home late that night; Takuya had fallen asleep on the car ride back home. Syaoran carried him upstairs and tucked him safely in bed while I sat down on the bed next to the bedside table staring at what felt like to millionth home pregnancy test we had used in a month. I bit my fingernails impatiently. The door slowly opened, Syaoran walked in with his shirt pulled out and his tie was barely hanging on his shoulders. He had a packed of chips in his hands.

He closed the door "How much longer?"

I kept my eyes away from him "only a few minutes…I think."

He sat next to me crunching on the chips "I really hope it worked this time."

He finished the packet f chips then tossed it aside. He moved closer to me and without my awareness, he held my hand. He lightly kissed my neck then gently planted a soft kiss on my cheek.

"Honey, don't worry it'll happen."

I nodded "Do you remember the first time we met."

He pulled me closer "How can I forget, I remember it like it was yesterday. When I first saw you, I lost my breath; I still do every time you look at me."

I croaked my head and allowed him to settle his lips gently next to mine. "I always had a feeling that you were the man I was going to marry, even when you were gone I always had an image of us, the way we are."

"I love you…maybe I don't say it enough, sometimes I feel like I need to say it more." He muttered his lips moving a short distance away from mine.

I snaked my arms around his neck "I love you."

We shared a passionate kiss that went specifically with the moment. I pulled away suddenly then chuckled

"You taste like barbeque Doritos."

"Don't tell me you're going to let the taste of potato chips come between us."

I pulled him closer and kissed him. His hands ran freely under my shirt. I was not wearing anything inside; I could feel his hands loving the feel of my skin. I broke the kiss again then quickly lay my head on the pillow. I made sure our eyes did not loose contact…not for a second. He moved on top of me and kissed my jaw line. A moan escaped my lips then his thumb stroked my lips.

"You're going to love this." He whispered.

I turned my head aside then gasped. "Syao….the pregnancy test." I muttered out of breath.

He stopped kissing me then turned his head to look at it on the bedside table. We both sat up and crossed our fingers. I drew it in my hands and looked at it distinctively.

"Gosh." I muttered.

Syaoran sighed "I guess we'll just have to try again."

I clamped my hand over my mouth "No Syao, we're going to have a baby."

First his jaw dropped, then his eyes widened drastically and before I knew it he was hugging and kissing me. He laughed in between and I celebrated with him. I lay my head on the pillow.

"Finally." I said jittery.

He pulled my shirt over my tummy then he gently kissed my tummy. He rubbed his ear on my stomach as though he was waiting to hear something. The bangs of his hair tickled my tummy so I giggled.

A knock on the door brought the moment to an end. Syaoran hurried to open it and found Takuya with a blanket in his hand.

"Daddy, I can't sleep." He yawned.

Syaoran carried Takuya and tickled him playfully. After that was over, Takuya quickly climbed on the bed and slept next to me.

"I'm scared, can I sleep with you?" His eyes glistened.

"Yes."

"Only tonight." Syaoran said still smiling.

Syaoran looked at me in such a way; I blushed like an infatuated teenage girl.

**The END**

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Hi everyone, thank you for reading or reviewing the story especially those who've given this story support from Chapter 1. I have my fingers crossed that this is a pleasing ending. Now, I'll be working on my other story define sanity. Once again, thanks everyone. Review—pretty please? PS sorry for all errors.

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